India, April 7 -- Deception tactic, serious challenges, a massive chase in enemy land, dozens of heavily armed aircraft and a treacherous trek comprised the nerve-wracking US rescue operation to pull out aviators after their fighter jet was shot down by Iran.

The last weekend saw the United States carrying out a high-risk rescue operation to recover two aviators after their fighter jet - an F-15 - was shot down in Iran, extracting one pilot from behind enemy lines before launching a complex mission to retrieve the second, who had taken refuge deep in the mountains as Tehran urged citizens to help capture him.

To mislead Iran's government, the CIA initiated a deception effort, spreading information inside the Islamic Republic suggesting ...