In November 2015, the Quds Force conducted a successful rescue mission of a Russian bomber pilot who was shot down by a Turkish fighter jet. The commander of the Quds Force, Major General Qasem Soleimani, got in touch with his Russian counterparts and said that a special unit had been formed and was ready for the rescue operation. He also explained that the squad was made up of men from the Lebanese "Hezbollah" and soldiers from the Syrian Special Forces, who had undergone special training under the guidance of Iranian instructors. Apart from this fact, the Syrian soldiers were familiar with the terrain. The general assumed command of the ground operation and Russian aircraft had to carry out air cover and enable satellite surveillance. Once the location of the Russian pilot was determined via satellite through the built-in GPS device, it became clear that the pilot was located six kilometers behind the front line of the opposition forces. The Special squad that entered the territory controlled by rebels was not only able to save the Russian pilot, but also kill all of the remaining rebels there. All of the 24 fighters not only survived, but also returned to their base without injuries.