The extraction of two downed US pilots from Iran this month was widely seen as a striking feat of military coordination and risk-taking. In Israel, Unit 669, the country’s elite aerial rescue squad, is tasked with preparing for similar high-stakes operations as well as saving civilians trapped in life-threatening situations..

Established in 1974 in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War, the unit was originally tasked with rescuing downed pilots in enemy territory. Over the decades, its mandate has expanded significantly, with troops now operating in combat zones to extract wounded soldiers and, at times, save hikers, car crash victims or others needing to be lifted out of harm’s way.

“We could be sent out to evacuate a wounded soldier on the border. We could be evacuating civilians from a car accident,” said Guy M., a reservist combat medic in the unit. “We never know what the mission is.”

Despite its broad operational scope, Unit 669 remains highly selective and relatively small, with only a few dozen soldiers completing its grueling training pipeline each year — cementing its reputation as one of the Israel Defense Forces’ most elite units.

The author of two books about the unit’s operations, Guy offered The Times of Israel a rare glimpse of what missions like the United States’ dramatic rescue in Iran demand from those who carry them out.

“Special operations are all about accuracy, about planning, about doing the best,” said Guy, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on special unit personnel.

He noted that rescues like the one that took place in Iran were exceedingly uncommon, and dangerously complicated.

A glimpse into history being made

American officials have described the US military’s extraction of two airmen from Iran as one of the most complex special forces rescue operations in US history — a rare mission that saw American forces penetrate deep into hostile enemy territory and coordinate a massive air operation involving multi-day extraction under active enemy pursuit.

“I assume that we only know as a public the tip of the iceberg of what went down there,” Guy said about the operation.

The pilot of the downed F-15E fighter jet was rescued on April 3, the same day the aircraft was shot down. But commandos did not reach the jet’s weapons officer until April 5, and his extraction was complicated by the original rescue aircraft getting stuck on the ground, necessitating the deployment of a backup plan that involved blowing up the army’s own planes it was forced to leave behind.

“When operations like that happen… and the Air Force is going out there with so much ammunition and taking high risks in order to get to those targets… there always needs to be a plan B,” Guy explained. “You can never anticipate how challenging it’s going to be.”

Speaking after the operation, US President Donald Trump said 21 aircraft took part in the initial........

© The Times of Israel