Two C-130 aircraft were lost during the operation, an official said.
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.
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The Abu Dhabi Media Office on Sunday reported "several fires" at the Borouge Petrochemicals Factory caused by what it said was falling debris "after a successful interception" of projectiles by air defense systems.
"Operations at the factory have been suspended immediately pending an assessment of the damage, no injuries have been recorded so far," the media office said in a post to X.
Two C-130 aircraft that were part of the mission to rescue the second F-15 crew member became stuck at a location inside Iran during the operation, a U.S. official told ABC News.
U.S. forces deliberately destroyed the disabled aircraft so they would not fall into Iranian hands. As a result, additional replacement aircraft had to be flown into Iran to take the airman and the rescue teams out of the country, the official said.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez
The CIA played a role in the rescue of the second F-15E crew member from Iranian territory, a senior administration official told ABC News.
Before the downed weapon systems officer (WSO) was located and rescued, the official said, the CIA "launched a deception campaign spreading word inside Iran that U.S. forces had already found him and were moving him on the ground for exfiltration out of the country."
"While the Iranians were confused and uncertain of what was happening, the agency used its unique, exquisite capabilities to search for -- and find -- the American," the official said. "This was the ultimate 'needle in a haystack,' but in this case it was a brave American soul inside a mountain crevice, invisible but for CIA's capabilities."
"The CIA immediately shared the WSO's exact location" with the Pentagon and White House, the official said.
"The president ordered an immediate rescue mission, which the DoW executed with boldness and precision, with CIA continuing to provide real time information," the official added.
-ABC News' Cindy Smith
The Israel Defense Forces said in a post to X on Sunday that its air force attacked more than 120 Iranian air defense and missile systems over the previous 24 hours.
