According to Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, the strike was the culmination of months of covert planning, positioning, and rehearsals, with the goal of delivering a decisive blow to Iran’s nuclear program, deemed a threat to US and allied security interests.
The mission deployed seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, each carrying GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, targeting Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. In tandem, a US submarine launched over two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles to degrade surface-level infrastructure. The precision strikes began at approximately 2:10 am local time in Iran and concluded within minutes.US officials said the mission maintained total operational secrecy, employing deception tactics and cyber coordination to avoid early detection. “Our B-2s flew in, struck, and exited without the world knowing anything until the operation was done,” Gen. Caine noted. No shots were reported against the US aircraft during ingress or egress.
The Pentagon confirmed that more than 125 aircraft and several commands, including Cyber and Space Command, coordinated to deliver around 75 precision-guided munitions during the mission.
Initial battle damage assessments indicate
all three nuclear sites suffered severe structural destruction, with imagery and sensor data suggesting core enrichment capabilities were heavily impaired.Secretary Hegseth emphasised the operation was an act of collective defense, stating, “We do not seek war, but we are committed to defending our nation and our allies.” He warned Iran against any retaliation, asserting that “any response will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed last night.”
In a pointed warning issued during Sunday’s press conference, Hegseth relayed President Trump’s message: “Any retaliation by Iran against the USA will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight.”
As tensions escalate, US forces across the region remain on high alert, postured to respond swiftly to any direct or proxy threat. “Operation Midnight Hammer,” Hegseth concluded, “shows that when President Trump speaks, the world must listen—and American deterrence is back.”
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Adding to the escalating regional narrative, Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin weighed in on the aftermath of the US strikes. Speaking on Sunday, he declared, “We are in the midst of historic Operation Rising Lion,” and firmly placed responsibility for over 600 days of sustained conflict on the Iranian regime, which he accused of orchestrating terror operations “from Gaza to Lebanon, Yemen to Tehran.”
BG Defrin welcomed the American strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, stating, “Now Iran is feeling the cost of its aggression on its own soil.” He lauded the US action as “an important step to stop Iranian aggression and its ability to pose a threat to the region and the world.”
In a separate development, Defrin confirmed that a joint operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) successfully recovered the bodies of three Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip. Nevertheless, he underscored that 50 Israeli citizens remain in captivity, serving as a sobering reminder of the ongoing humanitarian toll in the conflict.
