A commercial plane is preparing to land at Beirut Airport as smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo: AP)
A US special forces unit formed after a failed mission in Iran nearly five decades ago has carried out a rescue operation inside the country, bringing out a downed airman, according to reporting by The New York Times and other US media.
US President Donald Trump said the military had completed “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history” after an injured weapons systems officer was extracted from mountainous terrain in Iran, where he had been hiding for nearly two days.
“This brave warrior was behind enemy lines… being hunted down by our enemies,” Trump said, adding that the airman, though injured, would recover.
US officials, cited by the NYT, said the mission was carried out by Navy SEAL Team 6, a unit with roots in a failed 1980 rescue attempt in Iran.
A mission decades in the making
The latest operation has drawn attention because of the unit’s history. SEAL Team 6 was created after the failed Operation Eagle Claw, when US forces attempted to rescue hostages in Tehran but were forced to abort after a helicopter collided with a transport aircraft, killing eight personnel.
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The failure exposed gaps in US special operations capability and led to the creation of a dedicated counter-terrorism unit.
Over time, SEAL Team 6 became one of the US military’s most secretive units, specialising in hostage rescues and high-risk missions.
What SEAL Team 6 is and where it has been used
SEAL Team 6, officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, is a US Navy unit tasked with counter-terrorism and hostage rescue missions.
It has been involved in some very high-profile US military operations. These include the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and the 2009 rescue of a US ship captain held by Somali pirates.
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The unit operates under the Joint Special Operations Command and is made up of small teams trained for operations in land, sea and air environments.
How the Iran rescue unfolded
The recent operation involved special forces entering Iranian territory after a US F-15E fighter jet was shot down.
The pilot was rescued earlier, but the second crew member remained missing in mountainous terrain. The airman, though injured, managed to evade capture while Iranian forces searched the area.
US intelligence agencies tracked his position, and a special forces team was deployed at night to carry out the extraction.
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Aircraft provided cover during the mission, targeting Iranian convoys to keep them away from the rescue zone, according to US officials cited by the NYT.
Return to Iran
The Iran rescue is being seen by US officials as a return to the setting that led to the unit’s creation.
While details of the latest mission remain limited, US officials said no American personnel were killed during the operation.
Iran, however, has disputed the US account, saying the mission was “foiled” and claiming that several US aircraft were destroyed. The contrasting claims could not be independently verified.
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A commercial plane is preparing to land at Beirut Airport as smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo: AP) 
