Pilot rescue was likely not the main objective of the US for the special op, otherwise they wouldn’t have needed dozens of forces. The possibility exists they wanted to carry out a small scale landing operation as a test for future heliborne operations, specially since it’s close to nuclear facilities (for HEU). But their operation failed.

https://t.me/FotrosResistancee/20923

[–] Malkhodr@lemmygrad.ml 14 points 1 day ago

I'll add an analysis from another Resistance telegram as well:

👀 There’s a possibility that the large number of assets deployed and the use of that abandoned airfield served a purpose beyond a simple pilot rescue.

❗️ The details surrounding the F-15 crew recovery don’t fully add up. Why would such an operation require multiple C-130s, each capable of carrying 60–70 troops, just to extract one or two aircrew members, along with a small number of personnel from a downed rescue helicopter? This scale of deployment suggests something more substantial. It’s possible that special forces were operating from a temporary forward base, with the C-130s supporting a broader mission rather than a straightforward rescue.

⚠️‼️ The biggest thing to note is that they operated out of coordinates (32.221360, 51.901322), making use of an old agricultural runway as a staging point. Notably, this location is only about 40 km from the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center where (According to International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi) nearly half of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is believed to be stored in an underground tunnel complex at this site.

@SimurghRes

https://t.me/SimurghRes/3108?single