CIA's 'deception campaign' key to rescue

The downed airman had ejected into hostile terrain and remained hidden for nearly two days

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The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has played a critical role in locating a stranded US airman deep inside Iran, deploying covert capabilities and deception tactics in what officials described as a race against time.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the mission relied on both human intelligence and advanced surveillance tools.

"We deployed both human assets and exquisite technologies that no other intelligence service in the world possesses," he said.

He described the effort as "comparable to hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert".