President Trump said Monday that the United States carried out fresh strikes on Iranian targets overnight, describing the operation as a tribute to three American service members killed in recent Iranian attacks. He assessed that Iran's military capabilities have been 'devastated,' with few missiles or drones left.
Within hours of confirming the overnight operation, President Trump added a more detailed assessment Monday afternoon, saying Iran's military capabilities have been "devastated" and the strikes were a tribute to three fallen soldiers. Speaking at 15:39 Jerusalem after departing the FIFA World Cup Final in New Jersey, Trump said: "We hit him very hard again and we did that in honor of the probably three — it's probably three as opposed to two — great Patriots." He assessed that Iran retains only a limited number of missiles, drones, and manufacturing capability.
Earlier Monday, The Zioneer reported that Trump acknowledged the overnight strikes. At 03:25 Jerusalem, the desk first published (via ynet) Trump saying the U.S. had prepared "very strong" against Iran. Moments later, in the same minute, the desk reported that Trump clarified the number of fallen soldiers was three, not two, and that the operation honored "great patriots." By 06:58 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published an article quoting Trump confirming the operation with overwhelming force in memory of three soldiers. The corroboration evolved from a single Israeli outlet (ynet) to multiple Israeli channels (Channel 12) to Trump's own on-record statement, and now to a detailed afternoon assessment.
The president's latest assessment fits a pattern of publicly calibrating the scale of strikes. As The Zioneer reported on June 28, Trump warned that if the U.S. is forced to complete its mission, "the Islamic Republic of Iran will not continue to exist." On July 8, he said Iran retains only a "small percentage" of its pre-strike missile stockpile. On June 11, Trump told Fox News that the U.S. had not struck Iran hard enough yet.
It remains unclear whether this wave marks a final escalation or part of an ongoing campaign, as Trump has previously threatened to "complete the mission." The specific damage from the overnight strikes and casualty figures remain unverified.
5 developments
- StrongTrump announces US strikes on Iranian missile depots and radar sites
- DevelopingUS struck Iran overnight, Tehran issued false claim of retaliation, analysis argues
- DevelopingTrump says US will strike Iran 'very hard' tonight, tomorrow, and the night after
- DevelopingTrump says US struck Iran with 'great force,' ratio 20:1; Iran called seeking a deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake