Hegseth to address leaked Iran damage assessment
Share this @internewscast.com


() The Trump administration has gone on the offensive over a “leaked” intelligence report contradicting the White House’s claims about damage caused by U.S. strikes in Iran.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will hold a news briefing at 8 a.m. EDT, in which Hegseth will discuss the report and “fight for the dignity of our great American pilots,” according to President Donald Trump.

While Trump has claimed “Operation Midnight Hammer” obliterated Iran’s nuclear program, a preliminary report from the Defense Intelligence Agency said the strikes set back Iran by only a few months.

In a statement to , the DIA called its report a “preliminary, low confidence assessment” and clarified officials “have still not been able to review the actual physical sites themselves, which will give us the best indication.”

Trump has blasted CNN, the New York Times and other outlets as “fake news” for reporting on the assessment, and Trump and Hegseth have claimed the report and its coverage disparaged U.S. military personnel involved in the attacks.

The DIA report did not take aim at military personnel it simply outlined what worked, and what didn’t, in the airstrikes.

Still, the administration is doubling down.

“There was a total and complete obliteration of Iran’s nuclear facilities,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “And because of the president’s strike, because of the precision of our United States military and this perfectly executed mission, Iran no longer has the capability to produce a nuclear weapon as imminently as they did prior to the strike.”

Senators are scheduled to receive a classified briefing Wednesday afternoon about the operation.

“Now, they’re trying to get away with sending only the secretary of state and defense … instead of the usual intelligence officials who attend the briefings,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., regarding the briefing.

He said the pair of top Trump officials would provide a “woefully insufficient” briefing.

“If they are the only ones in attendance, they will only parrot whatever the president wants them to say,” Schumer said.

Senior officials from the CIA and National Intelligence have said new intelligence shows the strikes did far more damage than originally reported.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Inflation Report Could Indicate a Rise in Consumer Prices, with Trump’s Influence Remaining Uncertain

An important report on Tuesday is anticipated to reveal that inflation rates…

Colombian Senator and Presidential Candidate Dies Two Months After Shooting

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A Colombian senator and presidential candidate who was…

Taylor Swift Unveils Upcoming Album “The Life of a Showgirl”

NEW YORK (AP) — Look what you made her do — Taylor Swift has…

Arkansas Officials Report More Staff Disciplined at Prison Following Ex-Police Chief’s Escape

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – More staff at an Arkansas prison have faced…

Bill O’Reilly: Trump Now Grasping Putin’s Tactics

() President Trump is set to meet with Vladimir Putin in Alaska…

Cartels Shift Emphasis to Drug Trafficking Amid Decline in Human Smuggling Profits

() Mexican cartels are shifting direction in what they move across the U.S.-Mexico…

Iowa Veteran Close to Completing Appalachian Trail Journey

WHO 13 NEWS – Iowa veteran Joedy VanVelzen will summit Mount Katahdin…

A fifth individual has filed a lawsuit against the PBL school district, accusing a teacher of sexual misconduct.

PAXTON, Ill. (WCIA) — A new lawsuit has been filed by an…

ICE Detains Teen with Disabilities Outside of L.A. School

Los Angeles Unified School District leaders are calling for limits on immigration…

US Labels Baloch Separatists as Terrorists Due to Involvement in Pakistan Attacks

ISLAMABAD – The United States has designated a separatist group from Pakistan…

‘Vast Improvement’: DC Locals Respond to Federal Intervention

WASHINGTON () Residents of the nation’s capital weighed in Monday on President…

Trump’s Takeover of Washington’s Police Resembles Historical Racist Narratives on Urban Crime

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has seized control of law enforcement operations…