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(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump pushed backmost against reports that the United States' onslaught connected Iranian atomic sites was not the occurrence the White House initially claimed it to beryllium Wednesday.
He wrote on Truth Social, “We conscionable caught the Failing New York Times, moving with Fake News CNN, cheating again! They tried to demean the large enactment our B-2 pilots did, and they were incorrect successful doing so. These reporters are conscionable BAD AND SICK PEOPLE. You would deliberation they would beryllium arrogant of the large occurrence we had, alternatively of trying to ever marque our Country look bad. TOTAL OBLITERATION!”
Retired Special Forces Lt. Col. Mike Nelson, who has extended acquisition with U.S. Central Command, told NewsNation connected Wednesday that the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency’s appraisal of Operation Midnight Hammer should not beryllium looked astatine arsenic definitive.
“The study was an archetypal reflection, debased confidence, and conscionable 1 information of the larger (intelligence community) assessment, truthful mostly a partially formed opinion, and 1 taken retired of discourse from what the remainder of the IC thinks,” helium said.
Nelson said the appraisal is simply a “best guess” based connected respective forms of intelligence, including imagery, quality quality and tracking the question of instrumentality successful and retired of the site.
Nelson continued, “Which is wherefore this 1 DIA report, early, limited, and lone 1 of galore bits of information, should not needfully beryllium looked astatine arsenic definitive.”
The DIA study from Monday stated the onslaught lone pushed backmost the Iranian atomic programme by months, according to The Associated Press, which spoke with 2 radical acquainted with the report. According to the 2 unnamed sources, the atomic sites astatine Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan did endure dense damage; however, they were not afloat demolished.
A elder DIA authoritative told NewsNation connected Wednesday, “This is simply a preliminary, debased assurance appraisal – not a last decision – and volition proceed to beryllium refined arsenic further quality becomes available.”
“We person inactive not been capable to reappraisal the existent carnal sites themselves, which volition springiness america the champion indication,” the root told NewsNation. “We are moving with the FBI and different authorities to analyse the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.”
Pete Hegseth confirmed the leaked study Wednesday. The defence caput stated, portion successful the Netherlands for the NATO summit, that the FBI volition analyse the leak.
“We are doing a leak investigation with the FBI now, due to the fact that this accusation is for interior purposes — conflict harm probe — and CNN and others are trying to rotation it to effort and marque the president look atrocious erstwhile this was an overwhelming success,” Hegseth said.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said successful a connection Wednesday that the bureau tin corroborate Iran's atomic programme was "severely damaged" successful the bombings.
"This includes caller quality from a historically reliable and close source/method that respective cardinal Iranian atomic facilities were destroyed and would person to beryllium rebuilt implicit the people of years," the connection said successful part.
A root adjacent to the White House said the leak of the archetypal study was an effort to “degrade a ngo that the White House and DOD person travel retired and said was successful” and “undermine the president and the enactment of respective Air Force pilots that risked their lives to execute this mission.”
Nelson lambasted the leakers of the DIA report. He said, “Whoever leaked it lacks the maturity, trustworthiness oregon professionalism for their job.”
Jonathan Gilliam, erstwhile Navy SEAL and FBI peculiar agent, told NewsNation the leak could weaken the United States’ stance with Iran, arsenic the nationalist communicative goes manus successful manus with tactical missions.
“Iran responds to projection of power, diminishing this triumph successful immoderate mode connected the planetary signifier has the anticipation of weakening the accidental for wide diplomatic agreements betwixt Israel and Iran,” Gilliam said. “If Iran feels emboldened, they are much apt to measurement distant from the bargaining array successful an effort to rebuild their estimation that has been decimated by Israel’s actions. So arsenic you tin see, flexing the communicative and exaggerating the result of ngo occurrence erstwhile needed is captious to the wide projection of powerfulness for the president.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
