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(NewsNation) — The country's top general connected Thursday shared a elaborate communicative of U.S. strikes connected Iran's atomic sites past weekend, an cognition Pentagon officials repeatedly said went arsenic planned.
Gen. Dan Caine, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, laid retired the mentation and execution of the attacks present known arsenic "Operation Midnight Hammer."
The quality briefing, which was scheduled truthful Hegseth could sermon a leaked quality report on the efficacy of the attacks against Iran's atomic program, yielded aggregate caller details astir the lead-up to the attacks — but stopped abbreviated of sharing results.
Planners prepared a 'flex weapon' successful Iranian strikes
Of the six alleged "bunker-buster" weapons used, 1 blasted the headdress disconnected the site's vent.
Four much entered astatine the main shaft, moved down into the main analyzable and exploded successful the main weapons space, according to Caine.
A sixth limb was "designed arsenic a flex limb to let america to screen if 1 of the preceding jets oregon 1 of the preceding weapons did not work." Per Caine and Hegseth, each six weapons functioned arsenic expected.
Attacking the vents made it look arsenic though determination were 3 onslaught points successful the attack, which whitethorn beryllium misleading.
"These are the types of things that spell into the readying for a onslaught that the Pentagon would not expect the property corps oregon the American radical to initially understand," Caine said. "So, laying this accusation retired is helpful, but it's besides wherefore we inquire for a beat, for a moment, for a time oregon two, the accidental to archer that story."
Who were B-2 bombers successful US strikes connected Iran?
The B-2 pilots deployed successful "Operation Midnight Hammer" were from the active-duty Air Force and the Missouri Air National Guard, Caine said, and included some men and women.
A bulk of the crews graduated from the Air Force weapons school, with office astatine Nellis Air Force Base successful Nevada.
"When the crews went to enactment connected Friday, they kissed their loved ones goodbye, not knowing erstwhile oregon if they'd beryllium home," Caine said. "Late connected Saturday night, their families became alert of what was happening."
The pilots returned to Whiteman Air Force Base successful Johnson County, Missouri, connected Sunday.
"Their families were there, flags flying and tears flowing. I person chills, literally, talking astir this," Caine added.
Bombs utilized successful Iran strikes took 15 years to make
The limb utilized to onslaught Iran, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator Successor, was much than a decennary successful the making, according to Caine.
He described a 15-year survey by 2 Defense Threat Reduction Agency officers tasked with creating a weaponry that could penetrate Iran's Fordow atomic facility, located heavy underground.
After years of work, Caine said the telephone yet rang and "the president of the United States ordered the B-2 unit that you've supported to spell onslaught and termination this target."
Timeline of Iranian onslaught connected Al Udeid US base
The U.S. received "indications and warnings" that Iran was readying retaliatory attacks connected American bases successful the Middle East connected Monday morning, Caine said.
Al Udeid Air Base, the nation's largest subject installation successful the Middle East, assumed a "minimum unit posture" — essentially, making moves to exert the slightest effort and trim harm.
"Most folks had moved disconnected the basal to widen the information perimeter retired distant from what we assessed mightiness beryllium a people zone, but for a precise fewer Army soldiers," Caine said.
Soon, 44 soldiers and 2 patriot batteries — deployed from Korea and Japan, and aided by Qatari forces — remained astatine the base.
At 7:30 p.m. successful Qatar, targets were detected. Patriot missiles began ejecting from canisters and launching, a unit "you tin consciousness successful your body," according to Caine.
"These awesome humans, on with their Qatari brothers and sisters successful arms, stood betwixt a salvo of Iranian missiles and the information of Al Udeid," Caine said.
Qatar's overseas ministry connected Monday said nary 1 was injured successful the attack.
