Secretary Hegseth: Strike Iran created chance for "peace"

WASHINGTON, June 26 (KUNA) -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth affirmed on Thursday that President Donald Trump's decision to airstrike Iranian nuclear facilities created a chance for Middle East peace and also help end the "12 Day War" between the Israeli occupation and Iran.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, Hegseth said, "President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history, and it was a resounding success, resulting in a ceasefire agreement and the end of the 12 day war." "The President has created the contours, the opportunity for a deal, for peace in something that the world said was intractable, that wasn't possible, and we got that peace, that ceasefire, that option because of strength, because of his willingness to use American military might that no one else on the planet can do with the kind of planners and operators that the chairman just laid out." "John Radcliffe, the director of the CIA, putting out a statement just last night, CIA can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran's nuclear program has been severely damaged by recent targeted strikes," he added.
"This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable, very different than preliminary assessment, with low confidence, you say, historically reliable and accurate source and method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years, CIA continues to collect additional, reliably sourced information to keep appropriate decision makers fully informed. How about DNI Tulsi Gabbard yesterday, she writes, and I quote, new intelligence confirms what POTUS has stated numerous times, Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed." "This was a historically successful attack," he touted.
For his part, Caine indicated, "On Monday morning, we began to receive indications and warnings that Iran intended to attack us bases in the region that morning, building on the work that CENTCOM commander Eric carilla had done and on the orders of the president al Udeid at El UD Air Base in Qatar and around the region, we assumed a minimum force posture." "Most folks had moved off the base to extend the security perimeter out away from what we assessed might be a target zone, except for a very few Army soldiers at Al Udeid." "At that point, only two Patriot batteries remained on base, roughly 44 American soldiers," he said.
"We believe that this is the largest single Patriot engagement in US military history, and we were enjoy." (end) rsr.gta