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Mark Alexander: Operation Midnight Hammer: The Backstory

Eleven days ago on 13 June, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion. In “Israel Protects the World From the Islamic Bomb,” I outlined Israel’s considerable intelligence and surgical strike capabilities targeting Iran’s offensive military and nuclear development sites, and simultaneously decapitating Iran’s military and nuclear development capabilities by eliminating key Iranian military and nuclear scientists.

Iran retaliated by targeting, as always, civilians in Israel.

In order to further incapacitate Iran’s imminent construction of nuclear weapons, President Donald Trump authorized Operation Midnight Hammer to provide weapons that Israel did not have.

Both operations are the result of former Democrat presidents and European Union leftists who have relied on Israel to do their dirty work for decades, while maintaining plausible deniability. But the clock ran out on their cowardice years ago, and Iran was a week from constructing a nuclear weapon.

A day prior to the Midnight Hammer attack, the UN’s IAEA chief Rafael Grossi — in stark contrast to his previous assessments — declared, “Iran does have enough material for several weapons.” He then covered his butt by insisting: “We do not have … at this time, any tangible proof that there is a program, or a plan, to fabricate, to manufacture a nuclear weapon. If there was some activity which was clandestine or hidden or away from our inspectors, we couldn’t know.” Gosh, surely Iran would not have a clandestine nuclear weapon development program.

In other words, Iran has sufficiently enriched enough fissile material for nuclear weapon cores, has the trigger mechanisms and delivery capabilities, and may have already constructed one or more of those weapons.

Midnight Hammer was a massive operation that retained the element of surprise despite involving more than 125 U.S. military aircraft. It was the largest B-2 operational strike ever, and the second-largest mission since the 9/11 Islamist attack on our nation. It concluded with seven B-2s unleashing 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) on Iran’s underground Fordow and Natanz sites — the first time this weapon has been used. MOPs can penetrate about 60 meters below ground through hardened structures before detonating, and can be dropped in sequence, effectively drilling 40-60 meters deeper with each successive blast. Apparently, the MOPs functioned as expected.

Additionally, the Navy launched more than 30 Tomahawk strikes against Isfahan and other targets, and presumably those other targets were selected on the basis of intelligence from HaMossad and the IDF on what Iran moved out of its underground facilities ahead of the attack. Notably, despite initial concerns about radiation contamination after the attacks, a post by the IAEA confirmed, “Following attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran — including Fordow — the IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time.”

Predictably, there were Demo protests over Trump’s authorization of the attacks. For the record, Bill Clinton bombed Afghanistan and Sudan; Barack Obama bombed Libya, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan; and
Joe Biden bombed Iraq and Syria.

All the Demo protestations aside, this attack was predicated on the appeasement of Iran’s tyrannical Islamist regime by Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and the Biden/Harris regime. As you may recall, it was Obama, Kerry, and Clinton who crafted the deadly “Iran nuke deal,” and then Obama sent the Islamic regime $1.7 BILLION, including $400 million in cash. Biden then released $16 BILLION in frozen assets to Iran, which Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei then used to fund terrorist attacks on Israel via their surrogates, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Easy to connect the dots here…

With all due respect to Obama, Biden, and Harris, Iran’s “Islamic Bomb” program just changed its pronouns to “was/were” after a mostly peaceful airshow featuring American B-2s. It is now unburdened by what has been.

Oh, and recall in 2008 when then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said this about the Iranian nuclear threat to Israel: “I want the Iranians to know that if I’m the president, we will attack Iran. In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them. That’s a terrible thing to say, but those people who run Iran need to understand that because that perhaps will deter them from doing something that would be reckless, foolish, and tragic.”

Of course, Clinton and her Demo cohort were willing to wait until after an attack against Israel or one of our allies. And apparently, Clinton had not been read-in on the intel regarding the Israeli nuke capacity.

The attack itself should have surprised no one who understands that when it comes to defending the United States and our critical national security interests and allies worldwide, Trump says what he means and means what he says. As we have noted, Trump has been brutally direct in telling Iran the conditions and the consequences if it did not disarm — the world is not accustomed to strong and unflinching leadership, much as was the case during Trump’s first term, and he has learned a lot over the last four years. The Trump that returned to office in 2025 is exhibiting domestic and foreign policy leadership like our country has not seen since President Ronald Reagan.

For his part, Trump declared: “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Classic Trump: “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

He then addressed the nation, concluding: “There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill.”

SecDef Pete Hegseth asserted: “When POTUS says 60 days that he seeks peace and negotiation, he means 60 days of peace and negotiation; otherwise, that nuclear program, that nuclear capability, will not exist; he meant it. Iran should listen to the president of the United States, and know that he means it — every word.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio added: “This mission was a very precise mission. It had three objectives, three nuclear sites. It was not [an] attack on Iran. It was not an attack on the Iranian people. This wasn’t a regime change move. This was designed to degrade and/or destroy three nuclear sites related to their nuclear weaponization ambitions. … What happens next will now depend on what Iran chooses to do next.”

And despite Democrat objections, Trump has the full support of Republican leadership — and notably, his voter base.

Khamenei’s key Iranian opposition have released statements calling for regime change.

Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted shah during the 1979 Islamic revolution on Jimmy Carter’s watch, declared: “The strikes on the Islamic Republic’s three nuclear sites are the result of the regime’s catastrophic pursuit of nuclear weapons at the expense of the Iranian people. Ali Khamenei and his crumbling terrorist regime have failed the nation. As Khamenei considers how to respond from his underground bunker, I say to him: For the sake of the Iranian people, respond by stepping down, so the proud Iranian nation can leave the disastrous period of the Islamic Republic behind and start a new chapter of peace, prosperity, and greatness. The only sure way to achieve peace is for this regime to now end.”

And Maryam Rajavi, leader of the outlawed People’s Mujahedin (MEK), said, “Now Khamenei must go,” saying his “unpatriotic project” had “all gone up in smoke.” She added, “No to appeasement, no to war and yes to regime change — changing the religious dictatorship by the Iranian people and the Iranian resistance.”

As for the most serious threats now…

Iran’s insane mullah Khamenei declared, “The Zionist enemy has made a big mistake, committed a big crime. It must be punished and it is being punished; it is being punished right now.” Notably, he did not mention the U.S. strikes.

Khamenei claims Iran will “close” the Strait of Hormuz. He should check his history scrolls — the last time Iran attempted that was under Ronald Reagan, and he sank their entire Navy — before dinner.

Trump has warned Khamenei: “Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than [the first attack]. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill.”

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added: “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. We will defend ourselves. The safety of our service members and civilians remains our highest priority.”

With almost 20% of our Naval assets now in the region, any action by Iran at Hormuz will result in more devastation. And I can assure you, Israel’s IDF and HaMossad know exactly where Khamenei is, and he knows that.

Over the last five months, the U.S. has gamed up every Iranian counterstrike capability in order to protect Americans and our critical national security interests. But, as I noted the day after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, “Remember that an unknown number of Islamist terrorists crossed Biden’s open southern border over the last four years, and eventually, a retaliatory attack on American soil is possible.”

Notably, Obama’s election collusion co-conspirator, Russia’s former president Dmitriy Medvedev, claims a “number of countries” might now supply Iran with nuclear warheads. Medvedev is the wildcard successor to Vladimir Putin.

Not going to happen.

Finally, last week Trump had Demos defending illegal immigrant sex traffickers, rapists, and murderers. For this week’s magic trick, he has them defending Iran.

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.



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