Back to Combat? Trump’s Revelations and the Urgent Visit by the Secretary of War

President Trump continued his exchanges with American networks and revealed new details about the serious incident that nearly killed an aircrew aboard a U.S. attack helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, an event that appeared to reignite the president’s anger. At the same time, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced an unscheduled visit to the U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, headquarters.

President Trump described last night’s Apache helicopter incident, which reignited the clash with Iran, as “nothing less than a miracle.” In Trump’s telling, the pilots had been the beneficiaries of almost unimaginable luck. According to the president, an Iranian aircraft struck the plane and slipped between the two pilots without exploding, simply embedding itself in the center of the cockpit and causing the helicopter to catch fire.

Although the helicopter was engulfed in flames and there was a risk at any moment of the drone’s payload detonating, the crew managed to bring the aircraft to a point that allowed for a safe evacuation over the water, and about two hours later the pilots were rescued by an unmanned vessel. According to Trump, the pilots could have died at any moment and survived only thanks to resourcefulness and a great deal of luck.

The president revealed that in response to the incident, the strikes carried out overnight destroyed about 55 percent of the air defense systems and radars that Iran had rebuilt during the ceasefire, a development that paves the way for continuing the campaign against Iran. Meanwhile, after War Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the U.S. detention base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, he decided to also stop for a visit at CENTCOM headquarters, which directs the fighting in the Middle East.