White House fuming over top-secret leak revealing extent of Midnight Hammer op as Trump insists bases were ‘obliterated'
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GOING NUCLEAR White House fuming over top-secret leak revealing extent of Midnight Hammer op as Trump insists bases were 'obliterated'
THE White House has lashed out over a leaked intel report that quietly downplays Donald Trump's much-hyped bombing of Iran's nuclear sites.
According to a classified Defense Intelligence Agency assessment, Saturday's strikes only set back Tehran's nuclear programme by a few months.
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Donald Trump arrives at Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, on Air Force One
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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President Trump is welcomed by Netherlands King Willem Alexander, Queen Maxima and Crown Princess Amalia at the formal dinner on Tuesday evening
Credit: AP
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Early US intel assessment is suggesting American strikes on Iran did not fully destroy nuclear sites
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hit back, calling the report leaked to CNN 'flat-out wrong' and a 'clear attempt to demean President Trump'.
She said: "This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as 'top secret' but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community.
"The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear program.
"Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.'
Meanwhile, the US President posted on his Truth Social account Steve Witkoff' s comments on the strike that said: 'We put 12 bunker buster bombs on Fordow. There's no doubt that it breached the canopy…and there's no doubt that it was OBLITERATED.
"So, the reporting out there that in some way suggests that we did not achieve the objective is just completely preposterous!'
It comes after Nato's boss gushed over Trump in a private text message, calling his decision to bomb Iran 'extraordinary' and predicting he's heading for another 'big success' at this week's summit.
Mark Rutte, the outgoing Dutch PM and new NATO chief, personally congratulated the US president for his strikes on Iran's nuclear programme.
He said: 'That was truly extraordinary and something no one else dared to do.'
The fawning message, confirmed as authentic by a White House official, reveals just how far NATO leaders are going to stay in Trump's good books — even as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran teeters on collapse.
'You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done,' Rutte wrote, praising Trump for pushing allies to hike defence spending to 5% of GDP.
His message came just hours after Trump appeared to salvage a shaky truce between Iran and Israel with a furious phone call to Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US president shouted at reporters: 'They don't know what the f*** they're doing, do you understand that?' before ordering Israel to pull back.
Soon after, Israel scaled down its planned strikes on Tehran, opting instead for what local media called a 'symbolic' hit on a radar station.
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Iran bombed homes in the Israeli city of Beersheba after the ceasefire had begun
Credit: AP
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An Iranian rocket which landed in Israel
The US president landed in the Netherlands on Tuesday evening ahead of a formal dinner hosted by the Dutch royal family.
Trump was donning a white USA cap as he got off Air Force One at Schiphol Airport shortly before 7pm UK time.
He was later seen arriving at the Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, before being greeted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Dutch Queen Maxima.
According to Sky News, Trump might be spending the night at the palace as the Dutch monarchs' guest.
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