On Sept. 15 the U.S. military released video it says shows the April extraction of a U.S. pilot inside Iran. A U.S. officer told CBS 60 Minutes the footage depicts the April 5 rescue of the pilot with call sign Bravo from about 7,000 ft (≈2,133 m) by two special-operations personnel. On April 3 an F‑15E was shot down over Iran; both crew ejected and U.S. search-and-rescue aircraft and helicopters operated in Khuzestan province and elsewhere, recovering call sign Alpha about six hours later and B

2026-09-16

On Sept. 15 the U.S. military released video it says shows the April extraction of a U.S. pilot inside Iran. A U.S. officer told CBS 60 Minutes the footage depicts the April 5 rescue of the pilot with call sign Bravo from about 7,000 ft (≈2,133 m) by two special-operations personnel. On April 3 an F‑15E was shot down over Iran; both crew ejected and U.S. search-and-rescue aircraft and helicopters operated in Khuzestan province and elsewhere, recovering call sign Alpha about six hours later and Bravo on April 5. Bravo’s Sept. 13 CBS interview was met with immediate skepticism; Iranian media released an AI-animated short based on his account that questioned details including reported prayers during descent, a 160 km/h landing speed, and claims he sustained fractures and internal injuries yet climbed a ridge of more than 2,000 m.