‘F-15E PILOT HID IN THE CAVE LIKE JESUS’: Hegseth’s CONTROVERSIAL Comparison ANGERS U.S| US Iran War

A major controversy has erupted after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drew a religious comparison between a rescued F-15E pilot and Jesus, sparking backlash and intense debate across the United States. Speaking about the high-risk rescue mission inside Iran, Hegseth described how the airman was “shot down on Good Friday, hidden in a cave, and rescued on Sunday,” likening the sequence to the biblical story of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. The remarks—made amid escalating U.S.-Iran tensions—have drawn sharp reactions, with critics questioning the use of religious imagery in a military context, while supporters see it as a reflection of Hegseth’s well-known public faith. The rescue itself was one of the most complex operations of the war so far, involving dozens of aircraft, deception tactics, and nearly 48 hours of evasion by the downed pilot before extraction