Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. Wishing all my Patriot Factor blog followers and readers of the Christian faith a very 

Happy and Peaceful Easter.

 

Time of day is key in rescue of lost pilot shot down over Iran, experts say: ‘We own the night’

 Natalie O'Neill / NEW YORK POST

The missing US fighter pilot shot down over Iran Friday has an edge over enemies because the search-and-rescue mission is unfolding at night, military experts said.

US forces have better night vision and infrared communication technology than combatants in Iran — and darkness will help the pilot remain hidden in the hostile territory, the experts said.

“We own the night,” Capt. Ron Alvarado, a retired Marine combat pilot, told The Post. “Hopefully, he or she will be rescued by morning.”

“Night is the best [for rescues] because you can’t be seen. Dawn and dusk are also good periods of time because you can see — but not necessarily be seen,” he added.

Alvarado, who spent decades flying aircraft in combat, said the missing crew member‘s elite survival training is likely now kicking in “like muscle memory.”

“Obviously he or she is going to stand out like a sore thumb, so the biggest thing is to remain unsighted,” Alvarado said.

US-Iran ceasefire talks reach standstill, say mediators - report

Iran told mediators it is unwilling to meet US officials in Islamabad to discuss a ceasefire, as regional intermediaries such as Egypt and Turkey search for alternate solutions to end the conflict.

Ariella Roitman /THE J ERUSALEM POST 

The current round of ceasefire efforts between the US and Iran has reached a dead end, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing mediators. 

Iran told mediators, a committee of regional countries led by Pakistan, that it isn’t willing to meet US officials in Islamabad in the coming days, according to the report. 

Additionally, an unnamed source told Iran's semi-official Fars news agency on Friday that Tehran had rejected the US proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire.

Tehran also claimed that US demands for a deal are “unacceptable," repeating its argument from previous rounds of talks.

WSJ added that Turkey and Egypt are pushing for a solution to the standstill, including finding new venues for the talks, such as Doha or Istanbul. They’re also considering fresh proposals, said the mediators. 

Ceasefire efforts were further complicated when Qatar resisted serving as a key mediator for the potential agreement, added WSJ.