US deployed ‘125 military aircrafts’, used ‘deception’ to target Iran's nuclear sites – All about Op Midnight Hammer

Hours after striking at three key nuclear facilities in Iran on Saturday night, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US General Dan Cane, said that the attack on Gulf country was 'planned and executed across multiple domains' of the military.

Addressing a press conference in Pentagon on Sunday, General Dan Cane confirmed B-2 bombers were launched from the United States on Friday for an 18-hour flight to their targets for the 'strike package'.

He added, "Iran’s fighters did not fly and it appears Iran’s missile systems did not see us."

Apart from this, the US General said that 'Operation Midnight Hammer' included several 'deception and decoy' manoeuvres.

He also added that high-speed suppression fire was used to protect the B-2s and there’s no indication 'any shots were fired' by Iranian defences.

When asked whether Iran still retains some nuclear capacity after the attack, US General Dan Caine said that it would be premature to comment before the damage assessment is complete.

“Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” he said.

Assessment of damage underway:

US General Dan Caine, while briefing the press, said that it will take some time to assess the destruction sustained at Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“I think PDA [preliminary damage assessment] is still pending and it would be way too early for me to comment on what or what my not still be there,” General Dan Caine told reporters at the Pentagon.

Though he declined to comment on specific moves taken to protect US troops based in the Middle East.

“Our joint force remains ready to defend the United States – our troops and our interests in the region,” said General Caine.

Timeline of 'Operation Midnight Hammer'

Here's the timeline offered by US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which was codenamed “Operation Midnight Hammer", as quoted by CNN.

Midnight ET: The operation began overnight Friday into Saturday morning, Caine said at a Pentagon news conference. As B-2 bombers launched from the US, some headed west as a decoy while the rest “proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communications throughout the 18-hour flight.”

Around 5 p.m. ET: 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.

Around 6:40 p.m. ET: 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 6:40 p.m. ET and 7:05 p.m. ET.”

That places the timing of these attacks around 2:10 a.m. local time in Iran on Sunday.

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.

With agency inputs.