Trump Vows To Jail Journalists Unless They Reveal Source Of F-15 Rescue Leak

President Donald Trump sharply escalated his long-standing feud with the media on Monday, threatening to force news organizations to disclose their sources for reporting on the daring U.S. military rescue of two F-15 crew members in Iran or face jail time for refusing.

During a White House news conference, Trump directed much of his frustration at leaks surrounding the high-risk operation, arguing that premature disclosure from within the government had placed American service members on the ground in Iran in grave danger and complicated the mission to extract the wounded airman.

“We are gonna go to the media company that released it and we are going to say ‘national security, give it up or go to jail,’” Trump declared, vowing aggressive action to identify the leaker, whom he described as “a sick person” who failed to grasp the full extent of the harm caused.

The president emphasized that the leak made locating and rescuing the missing weapons systems officer, who had evaded Iranian pursuers for nearly 48 hours while seriously injured, significantly more difficult.

Several major U.S. news outlets had reportedly held back on publishing details of the ongoing rescue over the weekend to avoid compromising the operation.Entertainment News

Trump’s comments, delivered with characteristic bluntness, go further than his usual criticisms of the press as “fake news.”

They are likely to spark intense debate over press freedom, with critics already accusing the administration of attempting to intimidate journalists and suppress information. Trump has long denied such charges, framing his stance as a necessary defense of national security.

The rescue itself involved an elaborate mission with 155 aircraft, extensive deception tactics to mislead thousands of Iranian searchers, and extraordinary risks taken by U.S. forces. No rescuers were injured, though some aircraft were destroyed on the ground to prevent sensitive technology from falling into Iranian hands.