On Tuesday, the Central Command of the U.S. military announced that it is conducting an investigation into an incident that occurred the previous day near the Strait of Hormuz, which resulted in an Apache helicopter crashing into the ocean.
Officials from the military informed CBS News that the two crew members aboard the helicopter were successfully rescued by a sea drone, marking the first instance of such a rescue operation being executed by the U.S. military.
The two soldiers from the U.S. Army were conducting patrols off the coast of Oman when the incident took place. CENTCOM confirmed that they were “rescued by American forces,” but did not provide further details about the operation or immediately validate the involvement of an unmanned vehicle.
The rescue occurred around 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, approximately two hours after the AH-64 Apache helicopter went down.
According to CENTCOM’s statement on the social media platform X, both crew members are in stable condition, and an investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
Military officials also revealed to CBS News that the rescue was carried out by an unmanned surface drone managed by Task Force 59, a division associated with the U.S. Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain. This operation marked the debut of a drone in a maritime rescue mission.
A document from Task Force 59 dated July 2023 indicates the presence of various naval drones, although CBS News has yet to verify which specific system was employed during Monday’s rescue.
On Monday night, following his attendance at Game Three of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, President Trump commented on the situation, stating, “The pilots are fine. Nobody injured.”
Iranian state media reported on the helicopter crash, but their coverage primarily reiterated information from foreign sources without providing any additional specifics.
The New York Times was the first to report the helicopter incident near the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding on Tuesday following a significant escalation of hostilities over the weekend, during which both nations exchanged attacks.
Despite this, Israel has continued its separate military operations against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group in Lebanon, launching new airstrikes on the city of Tyre on Tuesday and issuing an evacuation order for residents in the vicinity.
In response to potential new Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Iran issued a warning on Monday, stating that such actions would provoke a “severe” retaliation.
Hezbollah has maintained its offensive by firing rockets into northern Israel.
Joanne Stocker contributed to this report.
