>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
Despite Deri’s cautious tone, others in the Israeli government are standing by the U.S. operation. National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi gave an entirely different account during an interview with Ynet.
“The Iranian program to produce nuclear weapons has suffered a dramatic blow and will take many years to restore it,” Hanegbi said.
He added:
“The largest uranium enrichment facility in Natanz has been completely destroyed. The reprocessing facility for metallic uranium in Isfahan has been completely destroyed. The nuclear facility in Arak…has been destroyed.”
“Regarding the extent of the damage caused by the American bombing of the underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordow, the estimates are that it will not be possible to restore it to normal operation over time.”
At The Hague, Trump was adamant: the mission was a success.
“It was very severe. There was obliteration,” he told reporters.
He insisted that the strikes didn’t just cause damage, but effectively crippled Iran’s nuclear ambitions:
“They’re not going to have a bomb and they’re not going to enrich,” Trump stated. “They have guys that go in there after the hit, they said it was total obliteration.”
According to Trump, Israeli agents had already been inside the Fordow facility post-strike and confirmed the destruction—an assertion Deri flatly denies.
Still, Trump acknowledged some caution in the intelligence reports:
“The intelligence says we don’t know. It could’ve been very severe. That’s what the intelligence suggests.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth backed the president’s version, emphasizing the accuracy and effectiveness of the U.S. strike.
“The bombs landed where they were supposed to land, there was devastation,” Hegseth said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who’s also serving as Trump’s National Security Adviser, echoed the same message.
“The bottom line is, they are much further away from a nuclear weapon today than they were before the president took this bold action,” Rubio said. “Significant, very significant, substantial damage was done… and we’re just learning more about it.”
But as reports of internal dissent over the effectiveness of the strikes leaked to the media, the backlash has been swift. U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff called the leak “treasonous” during an interview on Fox News.
“It goes without saying that leaking that type of information, whatever the information, whatever side it comes out on, is outrageous. It’s treasonous,” Witkoff said. “It ought to be investigated, and whoever is responsible should be held accountable.”
Hegseth confirmed the FBI is already on the case:
“Of course, we’re doing a leak investigation with the FBI right now because this information is for internal purposes. Battle damage assessments.”
As the war of words escalates, one thing is clear: either Trump’s bold declarations are accurate—or Israel’s own government hasn’t caught up. With American bombs dropping and intelligence assessments leaking, the world is left wondering whether Iran’s nuclear program truly lies in ruins—or if the fog of war is once again clouding the truth.
Stay tuned. This story is far from over.
