Trump Says, crew rescued by sea drone, promises response

The U.S. Apache helicopter that crashed into the sea the previous on Monday was shot down by Iran while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said Tuesday, vowing to “respond to this attack.”

“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

The two crew members were rescued by a sea drone in the first such operation ever carried out by the U.S. military, officials told CBS News.

The surface drone rescued the soldiers and transported them to another location on the water where they were then hoisted up to a helicopter for further transport, according to a U.S. official. 

The two U.S. Army soldiers on the Apache had been patrolling waters off the coast of Oman when the crash happened. They were rescued at about 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, “within approximately two hours” of their AH-64 Apache going down. 

They were both in stable condition, CENTCOM said in its Tuesday statement on X, adding, “the cause of the incident is under investigation.”This file image shows an Army AH-64 Apache helicopter on May 26, 2016. Airman 1st Class Sean Carnes/Defense Department

The pair were rescued by an unmanned surface drone operated by a special department called Task Force 59, based within the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins told CBS News. It was the first time a drone has been used for a water rescue, the officials said.

“The pilots are fine,” President Trump said about the crash on Monday night, after attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. “Nobody injured.”

Iranian state media reported the crash, but merely repeated foreign outlets’ reporting without adding any details.

The New York Times was first to report that a U.S. helicopter had gone down near the Strait of Hormuz.

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran seemed to be holding Tuesday after a dramatic escalation Sunday into Monday, with the two countries trading strikes.

Israel has continued its parallel war against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, however, with new airstrikes on the southern city of Tyre seen Tuesday and a sweeping new order for residents to evacuate the surrounding areas.

Iran warned Monday that any new Israeli attacks in Lebanon would be met with a “severe” response.

Hezbollah has continued launching rockets at northern Israel. (CBS News)