(NPR)- President Trump issued a profanity-laden social media post on Sunday morning, warning Iran about the Strait of Hormuz, as the conflict continued to escalate.
In the Truth Social post, Trump threatened Iran over the strategic waterway, writing: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” and adding, “Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!”
Trump also touted a high-risk U.S. military rescue mission inside Iran, saying a U.S. Air Force officer whose plane was shot down in Iran was rescued by U.S. forces early Sunday, after evading capture for more than a day in enemy territory.
In another social media post, Trump said U.S. forces had “rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran,” calling the operation “an AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all.”
“The U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” Trump said.
An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel helped the U.S. with the rescue of the airman by sharing intelligence and by halting Israeli strikes in the search area.
Elsewhere in the region, there was no let up in fighting, even as many Middle Eastern Christians celebrated Easter Sunday.
Here are more updates on the war in Iran today:
Trump praises US rescue operation
Trump said the airman was a colonel and “was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran.”
He was one of two crew members who ejected when their jet was hit. The pilot was rescued shortly after the shoot down, but the colonel, a weapons officer, could not immediately be reached.
The U.S. military scrambled to launch a massive rescue operation. President Trump said in his Truth Social post that it involved dozens of aircraft.
Three of those rescue aircraft, which were flying at low altitudes, were also hit by Iranian fire, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
One was an A-10 Warthog. The pilot managed to keep flying until he reached nearby Kuwaiti airspace, where he ejected and was rescued. Two helicopters were hit by Iranian fire, but were able to make it safely back to their base, the U.S. official said.
Numerous videos over the weekend showed planes and helicopters that closely resemble American search and rescue (SAR) aircraft flying in southwestern Iran. NPR was able to geolocate one of the videos to a bridge in the province of Khuzestan. The bridge is located in a mountainous area approximately 100 miles inland.
Trump lauded the rescues as proof “that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies,” but the fact that the pilots were shot down in the first place has caused some analysts to question this assessment, which Trump has made repeatedly.
The two fighter jets were the first shot down in more than twenty years, the last being in 2003 during the war in Iraq.
In mid-March, a U.S. F-35 aircraft was hit by a missile, causing significant damage to the plane and injuring the pilot. NPR was told at the time that the F-35 aircraft was able to return to its base, but the plane made a hard landing.
Since the war with Iran started six weeks ago, 13 U.S. service members have died in airstrikes and also an aircraft refueling crash in Iraq. An attack on a Saudi airbase left more than a dozen U.S. troops wounded, several of them serious.
Israel helped with rescue
An Israeli military official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, told NPR that Israel shared intelligence with the U.S. and halted Israeli strikes in the search area as U.S. troops rescued the air force officer whose plane was shot down over Iran.
Israel is now focusing on targeting Iran’s steel and petrochemical industries which are important for Iran’s economy and military.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that Israel’s military strikes in Iran have destroyed the majority of Iran’s capabilities to manufacture steel. And also on Saturday Israel said it bombed a petrochemical complex needed for manufacturing missiles.
Easter airstrikes in Lebanon
In Lebanon, Easter services were mixed with funerals, after Israel launched a wave of strikes in its northern neighbor. The strikes were targeted across Lebanon’s south, in the Bekaa Valley, and in the capital Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Israel says it’s targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants who’ve fired rockets across the border.
United Nations peacekeepers said they’ve lodged a formal protest after Israeli soldiers destroyed security cameras outside a U.N. base in southern Lebanon. Three UN peacekeepers were killed last month, and several have been wounded.
Hezbollah said Sunday it used a missile against an Israeli warship off Lebanon’s coast, but the Israeli military said it’s not aware of that incident.
In addition to ordering people out of the country’s southern region, Israel’s military is also ordering the evacuation of Lebanon’s main crossing with neighboring Syria – warning it may strike that area too.
Israelis hold anti-war protests
As the Middle East war enters its sixth week, anti-war protests are growing in Israel.
Demonstrations took place in several cities across Israel over the weekend, with police breaking up a large gathering in Tel Aviv.
Hundreds of protesters held signs with the faces of Lebanese children killed by the Israeli military. One protestor, Shiri Katz, told NPR: “I think this war is going nowhere.”
“As much as I’d like to see peace in the Middle East and freedom and democracy for Iran, let’s face it, we won’t get it from this war,” Katz said.
