Trump raises the tone against Iran after announcing the rescue of the second pilot

Barcelona / BeirutDonald Trump has accustomed the world to paying attention to his social network. It was with a post on Truth Social, early Sunday morning, in which he announced that United States forces had managed to rescue alive the pilot who disappeared in Iran on Friday, after his plane was shot down. No official statement, no press conference, no images, no proof of the rescue. Only a message with the usual exaggerated rhetoric to glorify the US armed forces. "We got him back!", said the president, who added: "Over the past few hours, our military has carried out one of the most daring search and capture operations in United States history for one of our incredible members, who is a highly respected colonel, and I am delighted to let you know that he is now safe and sound!".

The aviator had disappeared two days earlier after his fighter jet, an F-15E, was shot down in southwestern Iran. The pilot was found shortly after, while his companion, a weapons systems officer, had to hide for two days so as not to be found and captured by the Iranians. According to the New York Times, the CIA developed a deception plan to buy time and locate the aviator, keeping the Iranians away from where he might be. The aviator managed to evade Iranian forces for more than 24 hours. Finally, he ended up climbing a ridge of over 2,100 meters and hid in a mountain crevice.

Once located, the agency transmitted the information to the Pentagon and the White House, who activated their specific plan to extract the officer from his hiding place, an operation that involved hundreds of special operations forces members and other military personnel.

In the usual war of narratives, Iran has claimed that several United States aircraft were shot down during the rescue operation and has even claimed that the mission "failed". Iranian media have published images showing, supposedly, wreckage of a US helicopter and other destroyed aircraft.

Renews threats

After having been able to sell a victory –despite Iran’s downing of a US military plane within its territory–, Trump has escalated his rhetoric against Iran and renewed the threat he made 24 hours earlier, promising hell for Iran if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. This time, with a message full of crude expressions: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, all in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it! Open the damn strait, you crazy bastards, or you will live in hell. Just watch! Praise be to Allah”, he wrote.

This ultimatum comes in the context of growing tensions after Iran blocked the strait, a crucial maritime route for much of the world’s oil traffic, and with the expiry of a deadline that Trump has set for reopening the passage or reaching an agreement, which supposedly ends early Tuesday morning.

However, in a seemingly contradictory message, he assured that he believes an agreement with Iran could be reached this Monday. "I think there are many possibilities that an agreement will be reached tomorrow. They are negotiating right now," he told Fox News. Otherwise, he threatened to "blow it all up and take the oil".

The speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, responded to Donald Trump’s latest publications and, in a message in English, Ghalibaf wrote: "Your reckless moves are dragging the United States into hell for each and every family, and our entire region will burn because you insist on following Netanyahu’s orders." And he added: "Make no mistake: you will gain nothing through war crimes".

Israel attacks central Beirut

This context does not foresee, for the moment, any de-escalation. Iran has continued to launch missile and drone attacks against Israel and against US allies in the Gulf. But the deadliest consequences of the war have been experienced in Lebanon, where Israel maintains a parallel offensive. In Beirut, Easter Sunday midday was interrupted by the constant drone of planes flying at low altitude south of the capital. Minutes later, the bombings began, which impacted densely populated urban areas. The missiles destroyed homes, streets, and businesses, reminding residents that the violence is no longer limited to the suburbs or the outskirts of the city.

In Jnah, a neighborhood south of the city, several missiles hit a residential building without an evacuation order being issued, leaving at least four dead and 39 injured, according to provisional data from the Ministry of Health. The building, near Rafik Hariri University Hospital and a shopping center, suffered visible damage to facades, windows, and parked vehicles. Rescue teams intervened among the rubble while columns of smoke rose over the area, reflecting the intensity of the attacks. Simultaneously, at least seven more bombings hit the southern suburbs.

In parallel, in the south of the country, Kfar Hatta, a town in the Sidon district, was bombed during the early morning, causing the deaths of seven people, including a four-year-old girl and a Lebanese soldier. Among the victims was a family displaced by previous weeks' fighting, who were affected at their home by the bombing. So far, the Israeli offensive has left Lebanon with more than 1,461 dead and nearly 4,200 injured, and has forced more than a million people to leave their homes.

The evacuations in the suburbs of Beirut reflect a pattern that has been repeated for weeks, with damage affecting both residential buildings and civilian services. Health infrastructure and basic services are at their limit in various regions. Medical centers such as Rafik Hariri have had to reorganize their response capacity due to the influx of patients and the decrease in essential supplies.

Amidst the escalation, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has accused Israel of trying to turn the south of the country into a new Gaza, where the Israeli army destroyed entire villages. Aoun has renewed his call for direct negotiations with Israel to prevent attacks from continuing and to protect the civilian population. The president recalled that more than 70,000 deaths were recorded in Gaza and warned that southern Lebanon could face similar destruction if hostilities do not stop.

The occupation of the south and the repeated bombings of the capital reflect constant pressure on the population, which has to reorganize displacements, access to services, and daily routines under a scenario of permanent risk.