By Michael R. Gordon

The Central Intelligence Agency carried out a deception operation to help protect the U.S. airman before he was rescued a senior administration official said. While the aviator was hiding and trying to elude capture, the CIA spread word within Iran that American forces had already located him and were preparing to fly him out of the country. The CIA also pinpointed the aviator's location and shared that information with the Pentagon and White House.

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April 05, 2026 01:27 ET (05:27 GMT)

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