India, April 5 -- The dramatic US mission to rescue a stranded airman deep inside Iran appears to have come at a high cost, with American forces reportedly destroying at least two of their own aircraft during the operation.

Two US Special Operations aircraft were blown up on the ground during the rescue of the second American aviator, US-based Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the mission.

The aircraft, identified as MC-130J in the WSJ report, are typically used for covert infiltration and the extraction of troops from hostile territory. While officials did not clarify how the planes became stranded or malfunctioned, the report said their destruction became "necessary" during the mission. Track US-Iran war live...