The US military led a daring rescue mission deep within Iranian territory over the weekend to successfully extract a missing pilot. Commandos slipped undetected into the country under the cover of darkness before scaling a 7,000-foot ridge to take the stranded Colonel into safety. President Donald Trump confirmed the “historic” rescue on Sunday morning — while Iran called it a “black and humiliating” day for America.

“After Iran’s fighters completed the encirclement — the contemptible enemy, in order to prevent the disgrace of Trump and preserve the hollow prestige of their army, was forced to heavily bomb their own downed aircraft, equipment, commanders, and soldiers,” Sputnik quoted a spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters as saying.

Iranian officials claimed the lengthy list of casualties included two C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters. Press TV cited a statement by military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari, describing the US operation as a “so-called” rescue effort that served as a cover for a rapid withdrawal.

Zolfaghari stated that the operation took place at an abandoned airfield south of Isfahan in Iran and was swiftly countered by Iranian armed forces. He claimed that the Iranian response led to the destruction of two US C-130 military transport aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters. a “major blow” to United States military capabilities, asserting that it demonstrated the inability of US forces to assert dominance in the ongoing conflict.

Why did the US destroy its own warplanes?

According to a Reuters report, US forces destroyed two MC-130 aircraft after they malfunctioned within Iranian territory. The two planes had ferried some of the roughly 100 special operations forces into rugged terrain ‌south of Tehran for the rescue mission. An US official told the publication that the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure and ​could not take off.

Their ​commanders had reportedly made a high-risk decision and ordered additional aircraft to fly into Iran to extract the group in waves. The decision left the elite commandos waiting for a couple of tense hours as the the rescue force was pulled out in stages.

The US troops destroyed the disabled MC-130s and ​four additional helicopters inside Iran rather than risk leaving sensitive equipment behind. Footage posted on social media showed burned-out aircraft wreckage, which Reuters verified was in the area.