America's top intelligence officers have been hailed for rescuing two Air Force officers who ejected into enemy territory after Iran downed a US military jet.
The pilot of the F-15E Strike Eagle was soon rescued, but the US military struggled to locate a second crew member, a weapons systems officer.
The CIA developed a deception plan to buy time to find the missing airman, keeping Iranian forces away from where he might be.
US officials did not know the weapons officer's exact location, but they knew he had moved from where his ejection seat had hit the ground and was injured.
The airman managed to evade Iranian forces for more than 24 hours, hiking up a 7,000-foot ridgeline and hiding in a crevice.
A senior administration official said the CIA's operation really did confuse the Iranian forces searching for the weapons officer.
The operation involved hundreds of special operations troops and other military personnel, who dropped bombs in the area to keep away Iranian forces.
US commandos moved to where the weapons officer was hiding, firing their weapons to keep Iranian forces away from the rescue site.
The injured weapons officer was then flown by rescue planes to Kuwait for medical treatment.
