American officials told The New York Times that hundreds of commandos participated in the special operation to rescue the pilot whose plane was shot down in Iran on Friday. A senior U.S. military official described the operation as "one of the most complex and challenging in the history of U.S. special operations." The American newspaper noted that during the daring operation, the U.S. dropped bombs and opened fire on Iranian convoys to keep them away from the area where the pilot was located. According to the report, there were exchanges of fire as the special rescue teams reached the pilot, who survived "with nothing more than a pistol."