The United States, which launched surprise strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities over the past weekend, has revealed detailed information about what it is calling “Operation Midnight Hammer.”

According to the U.S. Department of Defense on Sunday, a group of B-2 bombers took off from their base in Missouri at 12 a.m. Saturday and were noticed heading out toward the Pacific island of Guam. 

But those planes were decoys. 

Seven more B-2 stealth bombers flew east, undetected, for 18 hours, keeping communications to a minimum and refueling in midair.

The Pentagon said that as the bombers neared Iranian airspace, a U.S. submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles and that fourth- and fifth-generation U.S. fighters neutralized Iran’s air defense systems. 

In a related press briefing, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation took “months and weeks of positioning and preparation.” 

The U.S. said it carried out the strikes because Iran had shown no sincerity in negotiations, warning that the regime is at risk if it continues to pursue nuclear weapons.