"Our kidnapped men are not combatants. They are aviation technicians who are part of our mission in Haiti, within the framework of an international mission. Our mission consists only of pilots and technical personnel, whose primary job is to carry out medical evacuations and save lives, not to wage war," Bukele wrote on X.

The four Salvadorans disappeared after gangs attacked their armored vehicle on Sunday in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince. They fled the vehicle after it caught fire.

Bukele said, "That is why, today, we have launched a military operation to rescue them. We have a single objective: to bring our four compatriots back home alive, without any harm."

Bukele's warning to gangs:

However, I want you, the gang leaders, to understand one thing very clearly: today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if we do not get all four hostages back alive. And do not take our word for empty threats. We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too.

Haiti's government issued a press release late Wednesday saying the "abduction" of the four Salvadorans was an "absolute priority."

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and subsequent abduction, which come as Haiti prepares for its first general election in more than a decade.

El Salvador, Chad, Jamaica and Guatemala are among the countries contributing to an international gang suppression mission that has more than 2,000 troops deployed in Haiti. The UN authorized the deployment of up to 5,550 security personnel and more than 50 civilian staff last year in an effort to dismantle the command and control structures of the country's armed gangs.