The US strike on Iranian nuclear sites — dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer” — was the biggest ever attack by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and the longest flight the aircraft have made since 2001.

It also marked the first time that the US used the massive, 15-ton GBU-57 bunker buster bombs in combat, dropping 14 of them on Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites.

The highly coordinated strike took Tehran by utter surprise Saturday night, with the terrorist state not launching any attacks at incoming American military personnel, according to Chief of the Joint Staff Gen. Dan Caine.

“We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the US strike package on the way in,” he said during a press conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon Sunday. “… We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out.”

“Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission. We retained the element of surprise,” he added.

Operation Midnight Hammer targeted three of Iran’s nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

The 25-minute operation inside Iran began at 6:40 p.m. ET, with a lead American B-2 bomber dropping two GBU-57 “bunker buster” munitions on the “first of several aim points at Fordow,” Caine said.
“The remaining bombers then hit their targets, as well, with a total of 14 MOPs (Massive Ordnance Penetrators) dropped against two nuclear target areas,” he said.

“A US submarine in the Central Command Area of Responsibility launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets at Isfahan,” Caine added.

“All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6:40pm and 7:05pm ET.”

The operation ended with a barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles, fired from an American submarine, “to ensure we retain the element of surprise throughout the operation.”

While the bombings took place in just 25 minutes, the overall mission began around 12 a.m. on Saturday, with the main strike team of seven B-2s — each carrying two pilots. The aircraft flew 18 hours from Whiteman Air Force Base, which is about 75 miles east of Kansas City and 6,900 miles from Fordow in Iran.

To remain undetected, the pilots “proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communications” all while completing “multiple in-flight refuelings” — a challenging but necessary feat, Caine said. 

“Once over land, the B-2s linked up with escort and support aircraft in a complex, tightly timed maneuver requiring exact synchronization across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace — all done with minimal communications,” he said. “This type of integration is exactly what our Joint Force does better than anyone else in the world.” 

As the B-2s entered Iranian airspace, the US military used multiple tactics designed to confuse and surprise the regime to ensure American troops were able to carry out their mission undetected.

US drops $500M bombs on Iran

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• The US military dropped 14 “bunker buster” bombs on Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment plant Saturday night and on two other key sites.
• Prior to the airstrikes, Israel initiated extensive attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and military. 
• Satellite images show how part of the mountain protecting the facility was completely obliterated.
• This marks the first time that the US used the 15-ton GBU-57 bunker buster bombs in anger.
• “Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said following the attack.

“The US employed several deception tactics — including decoys — as smaller fourth and fifth generation fighter 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. 

“As the strike package approached Fordow and Natanz, the US protection package employed high-speed suppression weapons to ensure safe passage of the strike package with fighter assets employing preemptive suppressing fires against any potential Iranian surface-to-air threats,” he added.

Prior to the strike, F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II and F-16 Falcon fighter jets were reportedly moved from bases in Europe to the Middle East. 

The operation ended with a barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles, likely fired from an Ohio-class submarine, “to ensure we retain the element of surprise throughout the operation.”

Caine and Hegseth underscored the history-making nature of the strikes against Iran, noting that it was the first operational deployment of the GBU-57A/B MOP — one of the most powerful heavy-duty bunker buster bombs known to exist.

“It was historic, a strike that included the longest B-2 Spirit Bomber mission since 2001 and the first operational employment of the MOP, a massive ordinance penetrator,” Hegseth said.

Caine also noted that Operation Midnight Hammer was the “second longest B-2 mission ever flown, “exceeded only by those in the days following 9/11.”

Tehran has threatened retaliation — and the US military remains vigilant against any pending attacks, the general said.

“The region, especially in Iraq, Syria and the Gulf, our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice,” Caine warned Iran.