Washington DC [US], April 6 : US President Donald Trump on Monday said that American armed forces have conducted an extensive air campaign over Iran in recent weeks, carrying out more than 10,000 combat flights and striking over 13,000 targets over the past 37 days.
Addressing reporters at the White House, Trump said, "Over the past 37 days, America's armed forces have carried out more than 10,000 combat flights over Iran - unheard of - striking more than 13,000 targets."
He also confirmed that a US F-15E Strike Eagle shot down last week marked the first instance of a manned American aircraft being downed by enemy forces during the ongoing operation.
"It was the first manned aircraft downed by the enemy in this entire operation," he added.
Trump went on to describe the ordeal of the weapons systems officer who survived the incident and was later rescued by US forces.
According to the US President, the officer ejected safely but suffered injuries while landing in difficult terrain.
"The officer followed his training and climbed into the treacherous mountain terrain and started climbing toward a higher altitude, something they were trained to do in order to evade capture," Trump said, adding that the servicemember's "face [was] bleeding rather profusely."
Trump said the rescue operation involved a large-scale mobilisation of military assets, including 155 aircraft among them bombers, fighter jets, refuelling tankers and dedicated rescue units.
He further noted that the operation included a deception strategy aimed at misleading Iranian forces about the officer's location.
"We wanted them to look in different areas. So we were scattered all over," Trump said.
The press briefing comes after Trump on Sunday confirmed that the military rescued the second F-15 crew member, who went missing after Iran downed the jet.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called it the "most daring" search and rescue operation for the US military, stating that the government will "not leave a warfighter behind". He also stated that the crew member sustained injuries.
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