Two MC-130 aircraft that had ferried some of the roughly 100 special operations forces into rugged terrain south of Tehran suffered a mechanical failure and could not take off, said a US official.

By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - The rescue had unfolded with near‑perfect precision.

A US rescue mission in Iran to save a downed pilot faced near disaster when aircraft malfunctioned, risking commandos behind enemy lines. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The airman, a weapon systems officer, was wounded after the ejection but could still walk, reportedly evading capture in the mountains for more than a day.

Retired Navy captain and former Pentagon official Brent Sadler says the daring rescue of a downed U.S. airman in Iran sends a powerful warning to Tehran's leadership.