Recent satellite imagery has unveiled the extensive aftermath following a major bombing at Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, orchestrated by the U.S. military under Operation Midnight Hammer.
The U.S. launched a surprise strike using B-2 stealth bombers on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities on Saturday.
“The damage and destruction inflicted across all three locations are substantially severe,” stated Air Force General Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, during a briefing held at the Pentagon on Sunday morning. He noted that assessing the complete damage to the facilities would require additional time.
The Fordow facility, known for its underground nuclear enrichment capabilities, was captured in satellite views demonstrating the destruction of certain structures as a result of the recent strike.
Caine also detailed how Operation Midnight Hammer was the “largest B-2 operational strike in US history.”
The operation employed advanced deception tactics and used more than 125 aircraft to carry out the success of the mission, including seven B-2 stealth bombers, multiple fourth and fifth generation fighters, dozens of air refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine and “a full array” of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, Caine said.
U.S. forces launched approximately 75 precision-guided munitions, according to Caine, including 14 30,000-pound GBU 57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, the first operational use of this weapon.
