US President Donald Trump has revealed that a short radio message from the pilot of a downed F-15 initially sparked concern in Washington, where officials feared it could be an Iranian ploy to lure US forces into a trap.“What he said on the radio sounded like something a Muslim would say,” Trump told Axios on Sunday.Trump added: “He said: There is no power nor strength except with God.” A US defense official supported Trump’s account but clarified that the exact words used were “God is good.” Defense Minister Pete Hegseth also used the same phrase in a post on X.
The US President added that people familiar with the officer said that he was very religious, so the statement is in line with his personality. Axios quoted a defense official as saying: “It wasn’t entirely clear early on, but we stuck with it and made sure he was alive and had not been arrested. And those who knew him said he was religious.”The United States carried out a high-risk rescue mission deep into Iran to recover a stranded F-15 pilot after his plane was shot down. Under the cover of darkness, nearly 100 special operations forces were inserted into the rugged terrain south of Tehran, climbing a 7,000-foot ridge to reach the injured weapons specialist, who was hiding in a crevice with a sprained ankle.
The pilot, who was trained in survival and evasion techniques, was able to establish contact and verify his identity, while at the same time the CIA conducted a deception campaign to mislead Iranian forces about his location.Trump described the mission as one of the most “daring” rescue operations in US history.