Fact Check: Is the viral image depicting a US colonel’s rescue real?

WASHINGTON, DC: As the US-Israel-Iran conflict enters its 37th day, tensions soar following the downing of a US F‑15E. Amid the high-stakes military operations, US special forces reportedly conducted a daring rescue deep inside Iranian territory to recover a downed airman. Meanwhile, a viral image circulating online appears to show the rescue of a US colonel, drawing widespread praise for the troops. Is the photo authentic?

Claim: Photo of the 'honorable Colonel' being rescued has been released

A post on X by user Missy, who identifies as MAGA, began with, “Here is the photo of the honorable Colonel being rescued yesterday.” It went on to praise the troops: “God bless him—our soldiers are all doing God’s work.” The post concluded with an Easter greeting: “Happy Easter!”

The accompanying image, which remains unverified, purported to show the rescue of a US colonel and quickly drew attention online. The rumor comes after US President Donald Trump confirmed that an American service member, who went missing in Iran following the reported downing of an F‑15E jet, had been rescued.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran. The Iranian Military was looking hard, in big numbers, and getting close."

He added: “He is a highly respected Colonel. This type of raid is seldom attempted because of the danger to ‘man and equipment.’ It just doesn't happen!” Trump continued, “The second raid came after the first one, where we rescued the pilot in broad daylight, also unusual, spending seven hours over Iran. An AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all!"

While the post featuring the unverified image has amassed over 5.5 million views, reactions are mixed. Some commenters praised the rescue and believed the photo to be real, while others questioned its authenticity.

Fact Check: US officials have not released or identified any images of the US colonel

However, the image depicting the rescue of the US colonel has been confirmed to be fake. US authorities have neither publicly identified the service member nor released any official images related to the operation, raising early doubts about the authenticity of the viral post.

The post itself was later flagged with a community note, which clarified: "This image is not real but AI generated." It further explained, "No credible records exist for the image, which depicts telltale AI signs (hand anomalies, gear deformities, lighting errors, etc.), is identified as AI by AI detection services, and is marked by the source post as made with AI."

This additional context reinforced concerns that the image was digitally created rather than a real depiction of events.

Even the original user acknowledged the mistake, admitting they had unknowingly shared AI-generated content. They wrote, "I added the AI content disclosure and got a community note for all reposts once I realized the image I copied was only a depiction of actual events. Thanks for the clarification, happy Easter!

In a follow-up post, the user further clarified their intent, stating, "I didn’t post anything for clicks. I thought it was a real image just like thousands of other people that commented."

Both crew members aboard the F-15E Strike Eagle successfully ejected before the aircraft went down. The pilot was rescued on the same day, while the second crew member remained missing for some time. However, US authorities have not disclosed the airman’s exact location at the time of rescue or revealed his identity.