What is Operation Midnight Hammer? Pete Hegseth offers key details about ‘bold and brilliant’ US airstrikes on Iran
The US launched a significant airstrike on Iran's key nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer.
The United States has attacked Iran's vital nuclear installations at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan with one of its biggest airstrikes in decades. The strike, known as Operation Midnight Hammer, was “an incredible and overwhelming success,” announced US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, adding that they were carried out after US President Donald Trump's instructions.
“The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back. When this President speaks, the world should listen,” Hegseth said in a press briefing on Sunday, detailing deliberate and precision US airstrikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities.
“This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” the Defense Secretary added.
‘Final battle damage will take some time’, says Gen. Dan Caine
At a Pentagon news conference, Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that the mission, known as “Operation Midnight Hammer,” used decoys and deception and encountered no Iranian opposition.
“Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” Caine confirmed.
According to General Caine, the US employed 75 precision-guided munitions, including 14 13,000 lb GBU-57 "bunker buster" bombs. Fordow, which is buried deep into a mountain, is one of the hardest subterranean targets that these bombs are particularly made to penetrate.
Meanwhile, Hegseth called the strikes “an incredible and overwhelming success.”
The submarine launched Tomahawk missiles on the targets at around 2 am in Iran. The operation did not result in any damage or firing at US aircraft. Authorities stated that Iran's surface-to-air weapons were unable to identify the approaching bombers.
Was mission directed at Iran civilians or troops?
“We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the US strike package on the way in,” General Caine continued. He highlighted that mission was only directed at nuclear infrastructure was targeted, not Iranian troops or civilians.
Commended the collaboration inspace, cyber, and naval forces, he asserted thatthe operation was executed with “exceptional skill and discipline.”
While Iran hasacknowledged the strikes, itsofficials claimed the nationdidn't suffer a major blow.
