FL’s U.S. CENTCOM Played Key Role In Weekend Bombing Of Iranian Nuclear Sites: Reports

TAMPA, FL — Details have been released about how U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa played a key role in the weekend’s bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities, according to multiple reports.

With these attacks, the U.S. joined Israel’s effort to decapitate the country’s nuclear program in a bid to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran’s threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict.

The decision to directly involve the U.S. came after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to systematically eradicate the country’s air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities.

Iran retaliated Monday afternoon with an attack on U.S. forces at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base. No U.S. casualties have been reported.

Saturday’s strikes on Iranian facilities, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, were commanded by generals at CENTCOM headquarters at MacDill, Fox 13 reported.

See Also: U.S. Bombs 3 Nuclear Sites In Attack On Iran, President Trump Says

"Last night on the president's orders, U.S. Central Command, under the command of Gen. Erik Kurilla, executed Operation Midnight Hammer, a deliberate and precise strike against three Iranian nuclear facilities," Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a news conference on Sunday. "This was a complex and high-risk mission carried out with exceptional skill and discipline by our joint force. I want to thank every service member, planner, operator that made this mission possible. Their actions reflect the highest standards of the United States Armed Forces."

Kurilla, a four-star Army general, has been commander of CentCom, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, Central and South Asia and the waterways surrounding those regions, since April 2022.

In January, he spoke about the importance of derailing Iran’s nuclear capacity after it had already been weakened by Israel, the Tampa Bay Times said.

“We now have an unprecedented opportunity to advance the vision of a prosperous and integrated Middle East in which U.S. national interests are advanced and Iran’s violent attempts to upend this peaceful order are defeated,” Kurilla told senators at a U.S. Senate Armed Services committee congressional hearing.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also highlighted the role of CENTCOM during Sunday’s press briefing, WFLA reported, saying, “General Eric Kurilla at CENTCOM did a phenomenal job. He and his staff, all of CENTCOM, policy across the board. This was a joint effort.”

The weekend’s mission in Iran involved American stealth bombers that took off from Whiteman Air Force base in Missouri, reports said. Some flew into the Pacific as a decoy, while others headed east to Iran with minimal communication.

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.

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