Trump Salutes ‘Little Brother’ Israel for Helping Rescue US Troop From Iran

(Photo by Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP)

President Donald Trump gave Israel kudos for offering “a little bit” of help rescuing the second Air Force crew member who was shot down in Iran and saved in a daring mission early on Sunday.

The president told Axios and The Times of Israel that the country — led by his longtime ally Benjamin Netanyahu — assisted with the mission.

“They have been good partners. They have been great and brave people,” Trump told Axios. “We are like a big brother and little brother.”

Axios reported the Israeli Air Force conducted one strike to block Iranian forces from reaching the mountain region where the U.S. troop was hiding out.

Trump made those comments around the same time he told NBC’s Kristen Welker the U.S. military had pulled off an “Easter miracle” by rescuing the second crew member deep inside Iran.

To save the Air Force officer, hundreds of U.S. Special Operations forces were mobilized, a “deception campaign” was launched by the C.I.A. to confuse the Iranians and buy time, and a temporary remote air base was constructed for service members to carry out the rescue. The troop survived for 48 hours by using their SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training and hiding in the mountains after their jet was shot down.

And in what The New York Times called a “final twist,” three planes had to be stealthily and hastily sent in to rescue the rescuers and the saved weapons officer, after two planes got stuck at the remote air base.

“He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” the president said on Sunday morning, after announcing the troop had been saved. No U.S. troops were killed or hurt in the operation.

The successful mission comes 36 days after joint U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei; dozens of other leaders from Iran’s theocratic regime have been eliminated since then.

Trump on Sunday said he plans on “blowing up” Iran in the next few days if it does not cut a deal to end the war.

You can read more about the rescue mission by clicking here.

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