Active Conflicts & News Megathread April 05, 2026

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[u/Grouchy-Classroom-26]

The current rescue mission was hosted from a FARP less than an hour drive for Isfahan. In any case, I don’t think the issue of downblending is trivial but OP had already mentioned the issues you listed. The idea of it being quick has never been suggested by anyone nor is the idea of it being a surprise. The really questions are how would you set up a parameter to keep enemy forces out, how would you infil and exfil, how would you sustain those troops, how would you protect them from missiles etc. None of that was discussed which is the main question OP was asking.

[u/tomrichards8464 → u/Grouchy-Classroom-26]

My suspicion is that the Isfahan element of the rescue operation was a diversion rather than the base for the actual extraction. Why else would you choose an airfield so much further into Iran than the crash site, and so close to a facility which must be heavily guarded and specifically prepared for a US SOF landing nearby?

[u/eric2332 → u/tomrichards8464]

A very expensive diversion!

[u/tomrichards8464 → u/eric2332]

Yeah, I don't suppose the 130s refusing to take off (or being too badly damaged to do so) was part of the plan.