Iran vows retaliation after U.S. strikes on nuclear websites; Trump claims success
Greater than 125 American plane took half within the mission that struck three Iranian nuclear websites, Air Power Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers, informed a information convention earlier at present.
B-2 stealth bombers have been joined by fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets and “dozens and dozens of air refueling tankers,” Caine stated, including {that a} full array of “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance plane” additionally joined the mission, which led to strikes on the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear websites.
Caine stated that at midnight Friday, a big “B-2 strike package deal comprised of bombers” took off from the U.S. A part of this package deal headed west and into the Pacific “as a decoy,” he stated.
“The principle strike package deal comprised of seven B-2 Spirit bombers, every with two crew members, proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communications all through the 18-hour flight to the goal space,” Caine stated.
As soon as over land, the bombers have been refueled earlier than they linked up with “escort and assist plane in a fancy, tightly timed maneuver requiring precise synchronization,” he stated.
Simply earlier than the planes entered Iranian airspace at round 5 p.m. ET, Caine stated an American submarine “ launched greater than two dozen Tomahawk land assault cruise missiles towards key floor infrastructure targets at Isfahan.”
A number of deception ways have been additionally employed, he stated, together with decoy planes pushing “out in entrance of the strike package deal at excessive altitude and excessive velocity.”
At about 2:10 a.m. native time (6:40 p.m. ET), Caine stated the lead B-2 dropped two GBU-57 Large Ordnance Penetrator weapons on “the primary of a number of purpose factors at Fordo.” In complete 14 of the bombs often called “bunker busters” have been dropped on two nuclear goal areas, he stated.
All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets have been struck between 6:40 and seven:05 p.m. ET, he added.
Following the strikes, Caine stated, the bombers exited Iranian airspace and commenced their return residence.