← Americans on Iranian Soil

הרגע שבו מבצע החילוץ הדרמטי באיראן כמעט נכשל — The moment the dramatic rescue operation in Iran almost failed

On 6 April 2026, Globes, an Israeli business newspaper, published הרגע שבו מבצע החילוץ הדרמטי באיראן כמעט נכשל. The byline is the Globes news service. The article says American commando forces went deep into Iran, found a downed navigator, and almost got stuck there with about 100 special-operations troops. An American family should care because this is an account of American soldiers on Iranian soil. It is a rescue raid.

Background for a new reader. The United States and Israel began bombing Iran on 28 February 2026. Around 3 April 2026 (the night of 2 to 3 April) Iran shot down a US F-15E fighter-bomber over Iran, and its two-man crew ejected. The rescue that followed is the one time, on the record so far, that American soldiers are known to have been on the ground inside Iran in this war. This page is an Israeli account of that rescue.

Evidence rating: STRONG. The rating covers the report that US special-operations soldiers entered Iran, reached a downed F-15 crewman, and were taken back out. Globes says American sources told Reuters, and quotes President Trump calling it one of the boldest search-and-rescue operations in US history. Walla had reported special forces entering Iran two days earlier, citing the Telegraph.

What the article says

Globes says the rescue at first went almost perfectly. Under cover of darkness, commandos slipped deep into Iran without being detected, climbed a ridge 2,200 meters high, linked up with the navigator in a safe hiding place, and moved him toward a secret meeting point before dawn.

בחסות החשיכה, כוחות קומנדו אמריקאים חמקו עמוק לתוך איראן, מבלי להתגלות, טיפסו על רכס בגובה 2,200 מטרים, חברו לנווט המטוס שהסתתר במקום מבטחים, והעבירו אותו לעבר נקודת מפגש סודית לפני עלות השחר.

Globes, 6 April 2026, in an account it says American sources gave Reuters.

Then it stalled. Two MC-130s, special-operations transport planes that had carried part of about 100 special-operations troops, had mechanical failures and could not take off. The commandos were suddenly at risk of being stuck behind enemy lines. Their commanders made a high-risk choice and ordered more planes to fly into Iran to get them. That left the commandos on the ground for tense hours. A person familiar with the details told Reuters this was the moment of alarm.

Globes says the gamble worked. The rescue force was taken out in stages. US soldiers destroyed the disabled MC-130s and four more helicopters inside Iran, so they would not leave sensitive equipment behind.

The article calls the rescue one of the most dangerous episodes of the war. It says the navigator was the second of two crewmen on an F-15E, a US fighter jet, which Iran said on Friday had been hit by its air defenses. An American source familiar with some of the operational details told Reuters that the officer, whom Trump said held the rank of colonel, had sprained his ankle and hidden in a crack at the top of a hill.

Globes says the CIA, the US foreign intelligence service, also ran a deception. It planted information inside Iran that American forces had already found the missing pilot and taken him out, before the operation had happened at all. The article says the US military jammed electronic systems and bombed main roads around the site so people could not get close. The planes finally sent to collect the stuck force were much smaller and could land on small, relatively rough strips.

The article says the White House, the Pentagon, and United States Central Command stayed unusually quiet through the operation. Trump was quiet enough that a local reporter checked whether he was at Walter Reed hospital. Globes then quotes his summary. He said that in recent hours the US military had carried out one of the boldest search-and-rescue operations in US history. He added that the soldier was wounded but would be fine.

What other reporting and posts add

• CBS's later numbers. A 14 September 2026 post pasting RT's write-up of CBS's 60 Minutes says US forces "fired or dropped 339 munitions inside Iran – 123 during the effort to recover Alpha and another 216 during the mission to extract Bravo," that "two MC-130J Commando II transports allegedly became stuck in soft ground," that US forces destroyed both, and that "Three additional aircraft had to be sent into Iran to evacuate the stranded force." That fits Globes's account of more planes sent in. RT is Russian state media; the CBS broadcast is the record to check. Post. (capture: twitter/t49__v581.md)
• A doubter. One account, on 6 April 2026, called the stuck-in-sand story fake and suggested instead "A weekend raid on an Iranian nuclear site." It offered no document and no link. It is one person's theory, kept here only so a reader knows it circulates. Post. (capture: twitter/t50__v590.md)
• Where the airmen went. A 7 April 2026 news roundup: "U.S. airmen rescued from Iranian territory are recovering in Germany and soon heading home to the U.S." Roundup. (capture: twitter/t50__v595.md)

What it shows

Globes, Israel's business daily, reported that the rescue nearly failed on Iranian ground, with about 100 American troops and aircraft at risk. It also reports that the White House, the Pentagon, and Central Command stayed unusually quiet during the operation. Silence at home, detail in Israel's press: that is the pattern of this war. See Americans Already on Iranian Soil and No Boots on the Ground.

Check it yourself

Globes, 6 April 2026: הרגע שבו מבצע החילוץ הדרמטי באיראן כמעט נכשל.

An earlier report opened while writing this page: Walla, last updated 4 April 2026, דיווח: כוחות אמריקנים מיוחדים החלו בפעולה קרקעית באיראן לחילוץ הנווט הנעדר. It said the search entry was underway and that the navigator was still missing. It does not contain this later account of the extraction.

Research captures: twitter/t49__v581.md, twitter/t50__v590.md, twitter/t50__v595.md

Last Updated: 2026-09-26