The US military carried out a high-risk rescue operation in Iran to recover two aviators after their F-15 jet was shot down, with the CIA using a deception tactic to mislead Iran's government.
The operation, which lasted seven hours, involved dozens of heavily armed aircraft and a treacherous trek through enemy territory.
The CIA spread false information inside Iran suggesting the US had already located the missing crew member, allowing the agency to determine the service member's actual location.
Despite being injured, the crew member had climbed 7,000 feet into a mountain crevice, where he was hiding.
The intelligence agency then relayed the aviator's coordinates to the Pentagon and the White House, where President Trump authorised the rescue.
The mission encountered many difficulties, including two Black Hawk helicopters coming under fire and technical issues with two transport planes that ultimately had to be destroyed by Washington's forces.
