The footage of the strikes shared by Trump
Senior US military officials ordered a strike on an underground Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility near Tehran during efforts to rescue American airmen whose aircraft was downed in Iran, according to a Fox News report citing high-level sources.
The report stated that during the rescue mission, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Adm. Brad Cooper authorized the attack on the underground headquarters. The strike was carried out by B-2 bombers using Massive Ordnance Penetrators, weapons designed to destroy fortified targets.
According to the sources cited by the report, the targeted IRGC site was destroyed in the strike.
In parallel with the rescue operation, US military B-1 bombers dropped approximately one hundred 2,000-pound bombs in the area to deter Iranian forces from approaching the rescue zone, a senior US defense official said.
A senior military source described the action to Fox News by stating that US forces had applied significant force against the IRGC during the operation.
CENTCOM confirmed in an official statement that two service members were rescued after their F-15E aircraft was downed.
The Fox News report further indicated that the strike on the IRGC facility occurred between the two rescue efforts. The B-2 bombers reportedly flew from Whiteman Air Force Base in the US after receiving time-sensitive intelligence indicating the presence of multiple IRGC commanders inside the underground site.
Following the operation, President Donald Trump stated that US forces had successfully rescued a seriously wounded F-15 crew member from deep inside Iran, noting the risks involved in such missions. He also referenced a second rescue carried out after the initial operation, describing both missions as uncommon due to their duration and complexity.