President Donald Trump disclosed striking new information about the survival of two U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilots who escaped death after an Iranian attack drone became embedded in their aircraft during a mission over hostile territory.

In comments relayed by Fox News on Wednesday, Trump described the incident as nothing short of miraculous. According to the president, an explosive-laden drone struck the helicopter and became lodged between the two pilots while the aircraft was flying at low altitude. Although the helicopter burst into flames, the drone failed to detonate.

“At any moment it could have exploded,” Trey Yingst told the network after speaking with Trump, who called the harrowing incident “a miracle.”

Yingst recounted the president’s description of the ordeal, saying, “And so we’re trying to take down the helicopter with the drone lodged into this gunship without it exploding. There was a lot of heat inside the cockpit of this helicopter, and ultimately these two pilots were able to take it down into the sea,” he said, quoting the president.

Despite the severe damage, the crew successfully ditched the approximately $40 million helicopter in the water, avoiding what could have been a catastrophic explosion.

The rescue that followed marked a historic first for the U.S. military. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the stranded pilots were located and assisted by an unmanned maritime vessel.

The craft, identified as a 24-foot AI-powered Saronic Corsair autonomous surface vessel, located the aviators after they spent roughly two hours in the waters off the coast of Oman.

The robotic boats are capable of carrying payloads of up to 1,000 pounds and can travel at speeds approaching 40 miles per hour.

Military officials said the pilots were eventually transferred to safety, where a rescue helicopter later hoisted them from the vessel and completed the extraction.

Following what Trump described as Iran’s “unjustified” downing of the helicopter, the United States launched a series of retaliatory military operations against Iranian targets, raising tensions and putting pressure on the fragile ceasefire that had been in place for roughly two months.

While emphasizing that Washington was not seeking a broader war, Trump told an ABC News reporter that a response was necessary.

“This is a response to what they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” he said.

U.S. Central Command characterized the operation as a defensive action rather than an escalation of the conflict.

“CENTCOM forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter,” the combatant command said Tuesday.

”The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” it added, suggesting that the operation is limited and is not intended to spark a return to daily war with Tehran.

Sources familiar with military planning told The Post that the American strikes are expected to concentrate on facilities and assets near the Strait of Hormuz, including locations believed to be used for launching or storing drones and other weapons systems.

Iran, however, has disputed suggestions that the helicopter was intentionally targeted. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Iranian officials maintained that the aircraft was not “deliberately” shot down.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a central figure in ongoing diplomatic negotiations, indicated that the incident may have been accidental.

{Matzav.com}