BREAKING NEWS Fighter jet headfake: U.S. sent B-2 bomber flights West as DECOY ahead of bombing Iran
Top U.S. military officials revealed the historic strikes on Iran 's nuclear facilities utilized a massive deception effort, including the use of 'decoy' planes that allowed the actual bombers to go 'completely undetected.'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine spoke to reporters in a rare early morning press briefing Sunday at the Pentagon.
'Our B-2s went in and out and back without the world knowing at all,' Hegseth said. It was the most robust B-2 bomber strike carried out in history.
'A large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States as part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy, a deception effort known only to an extremely small number of climbers and key leaders here in Washington,' Hegseth said.
The chairman of the joint chiefs claimed no Iranian planes were deployed to intercept the bombers, and the planes used in the strike were not hit with any fire.
Caine said the mission was named 'Operation Midnight Hammer' and was meant to degrade the country's nuclear programs.
'Iran's nuclear ambitions have been obliterated,' Hegseth added, noting the operation was an 'incredible and overwhelming success.' It did not target Iranian troops or Iranian people, the defense secretary stressed.
President Donald Trump announced Saturday in an evening address at the White House that U.S. strikes within Iran 'were a spectacular military address.'
Nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan were all hit, the president said.
The surprise attack on Saturday utilized six B-2 stealth bombers that dropped a dozen 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' bombs on Iran's primary nuclear facility.
The target was a secret uranium enrichment facility located deep underground in Fordow, approximately 80 miles south of Tehran.
U.S. submarines also fired 30 Tomahawk missiles and wiped out two other Iranian nuclear sites at Natanz and Isfahan.
Hours after the strikes, Iranian forces began lobbing missiles at Israel in a counterattack.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called the U.S. offensive 'extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior.'
'Humanity has come too far as a species to allow a lawless bully to take us back to the law of the jungle,' Aragchi said.
The Middle Eastern country has vowed revenge for the airstrikes. Iran's leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened 'severe punishment.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, celebrated Trump for attacking 'the world's most dangerous regime'
And Hegseth noted that while many presidents have dreamed of delivering the 'final blow' to Iran's nuclear programs, 'none could until President Trump.'
But experts note it will take some time to verify if the bombing campaign eradicated all of Iran's nuclear capability.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
34 minutes ago
- Reuters
India's Modi and Iran's Pezeshkian hold phone call, India's foreign ministry says
June 22 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a phone call from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, where he was briefed about the conflict between Iran and Israel, India's foreign ministry said on Sunday. Modi emphasised the need for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and reiterated India's support for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability, the Ministry of External Affairs statement read.
The Herald Scotland
35 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
US signals willingness to renew talks with Iran and avoid prolonged war
The co-ordinated messaging by his vice president, Pentagon chief, top military adviser and secretary of state suggested a confidence that any fallout from the attack would be manageable and that Iran's lack of military capabilities would ultimately force it back to the bargaining table. Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news conference that America 'does not seek war' with Iran while vice president JD Vance said the strikes have given Tehran the possibility of returning to negotiate with Washington. Operation Midnight Hammer 'involved decoys and deception and met with no Iranian resistance', according to Mr Hegseth and air force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 'This mission was not and has not been about regime change,' Mr Hegseth added. Gen Caine said the goal of the operation – destroying nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan – had been achieved. Vice president JD Vance, left, said the US is confident it has delayed Iran's ability to make a nuclear weapon (The White House/AP/PA) 'Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,' Gen Caine said. Mr Vance said in a television interview that while he would not discuss 'sensitive intelligence about what we've seen on the ground', he felt 'very confident that we've substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon'. Pressed further, he told NBC's Meet the Press that 'I think that we have really pushed their programme back by a very long time. I think that it's going to be many, many years before the Iranians are able to develop a nuclear weapon'. The vice president said the US had 'negotiated aggressively' with Iran to try to find a peaceful settlement and that Mr Trump made his decision after assessing the Iranians were not acting 'in good faith'. Joint Chiefs chairman Dan Caine addressed the media at the Pentagon (Alex Brandon/AP) 'I actually think it provides an opportunity to reset this relationship, reset these negotiations and get us in a place where Iran can decide not to be a threat to its neighbours, not to a threat to the United States, and if they're willing to do that, the United States is all ears,' Mr Vance said. Secretary of state Marco Rubio said on CBS's Face the Nation that 'there are no planned military operations right now against Iran, unless, unless they mess around and they attack' US interests. Mr Trump has previously threatened other countries, but often backed down or failed to follow through, given his promises to his coalition of voters not to entangle the United States in an extended war. It was not immediately clear whether Iran saw the avoidance of a wider conflict as in its best interests. Much of the world is absorbing the consequences of the strikes and the risk that they could lead to more fighting across the Middle East after the US inserted itself into the war between Israel and Iran. Air strikes starting on June 12 by Israel that targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and generals prompted retaliation from Iran, creating a series of events that contributed to the US attack. Iran targeted Tel Aviv with missiles in the hours after the US attack (Oded Balilty/AP) While US officials urged caution and stressed that only nuclear sites were targeted by Washington, Iran criticised the actions as a violation of its sovereignty and international law. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Washington was 'fully responsible' for whatever actions Tehran may take in response. 'They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities,' he said at a news conference in Turkey. 'I don't know how much room is left for diplomacy.' China and Russia, where Mr Araghchi was heading for talks with President Vladimir Putin, condemned the US military action. The attacks were 'a gross violation of international law', said Russia's Foreign Ministry, which also advocated 'returning the situation to a political and diplomatic course'. A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement warned about the risk of the conflict spreading to 'a global level'. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was moving military equipment into the area to protect its interests, people and allies, but that he was focused on finding a solution. The leaders of Italy, Canada, Germany and France agreed on the need for 'a rapid resumption of negotiations'. France's Emmanuel Macron held talks with the Saudi crown prince and sultan of Oman. Iran could try to stop oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, which could create the same kind of inflationary shocks that the world felt after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Oil prices have increased in the financial markets as the war between Israel and Iran had intensified, climbing by 21% over the past month. The Pentagon briefing did not provide any new details about Iran's nuclear capabilities. Mr Hegseth said the timeline for the strikes was the result of a schedule set by Mr Trump for talks with Iran about its nuclear ambitions. 'Iran found out' that when Mr Trump 'says 60 days that he seeks peace and negotiation, he means 60 days of peace and negotiation', Mr Hegseth said. 'Otherwise, that nuclear programme, that new nuclear capability will not exist. He meant it.' That statement was complicated as the White House had suggested last Thursday that Mr Trump could take as much as two weeks to determine whether to strike Iran or continue to pursue negotiations. But the US benefited from Iran's weakened air defences as it was able to conduct the attacks without resistance from Iran. 'Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission,' Gen Caine said. Mr Hegseth said that a choice to move a number of B-2 bombers from their base in Missouri earlier Saturday was meant to be a decoy to throw off Iranians. He added that the US used other methods of deception as well, deploying fighters to protect the B-2 bombers that dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs on Iran's site at Fordo.
BreakingNews.ie
36 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Efforts under way to evacuate Irish citizens from Israel
Efforts are under way to evacuate 15 Irish citizens from Israel, the Tánaiste has said. Simon Harris, foreign affairs minister, said an operation was ongoing to evacuate 15 Irish citizens and their dependants from Israel, working with EU member states. Advertisement He said they were working with a smaller number of citizens in Iran who had requested an evacuation. Around 29 Irish citizens in Iran had registered with the Irish embassy and around 200 in Israel. I'm deeply concerned by the very real risk of an extremely dangerous spiral of escalation now in the Middle East. Urgent de-escalation & diplomacy are crucial. I will travel to Brussels to meet European counterparts. My full statement on latest developments is below. ⬇️ — Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 22, 2025 Mr Harris said he spoke to Iran's deputy foreign minister on Sunday, at their request, who was 'full of anger'. 'He did say to me that it was the view of Iran that the aggressors would have to learn lessons and pay a price,' he told reporters at Government Buildings. Advertisement 'Of course I articulated in the strongest possible terms that Ireland and the European Union doesn't want to see that, we want to see people step back from the brink and engage in dialogue.' Mr Harris said the US strikes on Iran had made a 'volatile situation even more dangerous' and added an 'extra layer of complexity' to what was already a 'tinderbox'. Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Mr Harris have both called for an 'urgent' de-escalation and a negotiated solution over Iran's nuclear facilities. They said they are in close contact with their European counterparts before a meeting of EU foreign leaders on Monday and of EU leaders later in the week. Advertisement 'Diplomacy and dialogue is ultimately the only way to resolve these issues,' Mr Martin said. 'Iran should commit not to develop nuclear weapons and disavow its nuclear and uranium enrichment programme. 'Nuclear safety is an issue here, modern warfare is very destructive. It is civilians who ultimately suffer, and that is why we need an end to these wars and bring an end to conflict.' There is an urgent need for de-escalation, dialogue & diplomacy in the Middle East. Iran should unequivocally disavow the development of nuclear weapons. A negotiated solution is the way forward. We remain in close contact with international partners ahead of the EU Council. — Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) June 22, 2025 Mr Martin said the escalation on Sunday should not draw attention away from the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Advertisement 'We shouldn't lose sight of the catastrophe that is still unfolding in Gaza while the war between Iran and Israel continues,' he said. 'What is happening in Gaza is appalling and a breach of international humanitarian law, and again, innocent civilians and children are being starved there, and we need that to come to an end.' Staff from Ireland's embassy in Tehran left the country on Friday as the embassy was closed, and updates are being provided on more than 300 Irish peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon. Mr Harris said there were no plans to withdraw Irish troops and that 'decisions are being made constantly' to ensure their safety. Advertisement When asked whether he supported US President Donald Trump's strikes on Iran, Mr Harris said: 'I think it's resulted in an extraordinarily dangerous escalation of a conflict that already best be described as a tinderbox. 'We're now entering a moment of particular danger, because I think the chances now of a spiral of escalation are more likely than ever before, and there is a real prospect now of the international community losing all control of this very, very volatile conflict.' He said there was only a 'very small' number of Irish citizens, many dual nationals, seeking an evacuation, and they were working with European counterparts. He said a significant update on this would be available in the hours ahead. 'Thank god we woke this morning to the International Atomic Energy Agency saying they haven't detected any increase in radiation,' he told RTÉ Radio. 'But imagine if we were waking up this morning to a situation where radiation levels were extraordinarily high, and the health and human danger that that would have presented far beyond Iran as well. So this is an extraordinarily dangerous time.' He said that it was 'sadly true' that international legal norms are not being adhered to, citing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel's 'genocidal activity' in Palestine and now the Iran-Israel conflict. He said there was a diplomatic process in train and his understanding from readouts was 'there was a commitment from the Iranian side to further talks'. Mr Harris said Ireland and Europe are 'fully united in the clear view' that Iran should not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. 'The way to address this was always through a negotiated solution. Any alternative to that is simply too dangerous for civilians, for the Middle East region and for global security. 'Together with my EU counterparts, we will in the coming hours and days discuss and review the latest developments and consider the next steps Europe can usefully play to support de-escalation.' Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan said people woke up on Sunday 'terrified, really, to be quite honest, about the prospect of what's unfolding'. He told RTE's The Week In Politics it is 'terrifying' for citizens in Iran and Israel. 'It does take great people to make leaps of faith in particular places in time to come forward, whether it was in relation to (Anwar el-Sadat) in Egypt, and later on in relation to Bill Clinton and what he did, we do now require people to actually get people around the table,' he said. 'Because, ultimately, as the Taoiseach said, this is terrifying – not only for the innocent communities that are living in both countries, but as well as that for the neighbouring countries in the Middle East, who we obviously all hope are not drawn into a much bigger conflict.'
