The recent US military operation against Iran involved over 125 aircraft and a strategic deception tactic, according to General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The operation featured the deployment of seven stealth B2 bombers with the main objective of targeting nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, ultimately achieving its goal.
Caine emphasized that the operation specifically aimed at dismantling the Iranian nuclear program and did not involve any direct targeting of Iranian troops or civilians. He credited President Trump’s leadership for the success of the mission, stating that Iran’s nuclear ambitions had been effectively neutralized through the operation.
Operation Midnight Hammer timeline
The operation commenced at midnight Eastern Time, with B-2 bombers taking off from the US. A strategic maneuver involved sending some bombers westward as a distraction, while the remaining aircraft proceeded quietly eastward with minimal communication during the 18-hour flight, as outlined by Caine during a press conference at the Pentagon.
About 5pm ET (7am on Sunday AEST): Caine said a US submarine “launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets” at the Isfahan nuclear site in Iran.
As the B-2s entered Iranian airspace, the US “employed several deception tactics, including decoys, as the fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft pushed out in front of the strike package at high altitude and high speed, sweeping in front of the package for enemy fighters and surface-to-air missile threats,” Caine said.
He added that upon approach of the Natanz and Fordow facilities, the US employed “high-speed suppression weapons” with fighter aircraft to “ensure safe passage” of the B-2 bombers.
About 6.40pm ET (8.40am on Sunday AEST): The lead B-2 bomber launched two massive bunker-buster bombs at Fordow nuclear site, Caine said, and the “remaining bombers then hit their targets”.
Those additional targets were struck, Caine said, “between 6.40pm ET and 7.05pm ET” (8.40am and 9.05am on Sunday AEST).
That places the timing of these attacks about 2.10am local time in Iran on Sunday.
In total, Caine said, 16 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators were dropped — two from the lead B-2 on Fordow, and 14 more from the remaining bombers against the two other sites.
Flight back to US: The US military then “began its return home”, Caine said, noting that no shots were fired by Iran at the US on the way in or out.
– Additional reporting by CNN 
