CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed Wednesday that recent U.S. and Israeli strikes caused severe damage to Iran’s nuclear program. In a statement posted to X, Ratcliffe said the CIA has credible intelligence—including from a trusted source—that key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and will take years to rebuild. “CIA can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes,” he wrote. Ratcliffe added that the agency is still gathering intelligence and will keep officials and, when possible, the public informed. The statement directly contradicts leaked reports that suggested the strikes had limited impact.

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff revealed on Wednesday that additional countries are expected to join the Abraham Accords in the near future. Speaking in an interview with CNBC, Witkoff said, “We think we have big announcements on countries coming into the Abraham Accords,” though he did not name which nations may be involved. Witkoff also addressed ongoing talks with Iranian officials regarding their nuclear program. “There’s a strong sense that Iran is ready,” he said, expressing optimism about reaching a broader peace agreement.

The IDF revealed Wednesday that elite Israeli commandos operated inside Iran during the recent military campaign — executing classified missions that helped cripple Tehran’s missile capabilities and secure Israeli dominance over Iranian skies. Speaking in a video address, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir detailed the unprecedented scope of Israel’s shadow war with Iran — and, for the first time, publicly acknowledged that the IDF deployed ground and air commando units deep within enemy territory. “These forces operated covertly in the heart of Iran,” Zamir said.

In a press conference at the NATO summit in The Netherlands, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed the United States’ military strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, declaring the operation a resounding success and a key turning point in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Trump: “Last weekend, the United States successfully carried out a massive precision strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities… this incredible exercise of American strength has paved the way for peace, with a historic ceasefire agreement.” While U.S. officials have yet to release full satellite imagery or damage assessments, Trump left little ambiguity about the strike’s effectiveness.

Iran retaliated Monday for the U.S. attacks on its nuclear sites by targeting Al Udeid Air Base, a sprawling desert facility in Qatar that serves as a major regional military hub for American forces. No American or Qatari personnel were harmed, the U.S. military’s Central Command said, noting that the two forces worked together to defend the base. A Qatari military officer said one of 19 missiles fired by Iran was not intercepted and hit the base, but President Donald Trump said in a social media post that “hardly any damage was done.”. As of this month, the U.S. military had about 40,000 service members in the Middle East, according to a U.S. official.

In a rare break from the shadows, Mossad Chief David Barnea stepped into the light Wednesday to send a message: Israel’s enemies will never see it coming. In a video address released to the public — a near-unprecedented move by the ultra-secretive spy agency — Barnea delivered a chilling summary of the Mossad’s role in the war that brought Iran’s regime to its knees earlier this month. “We will [continue to] be there, like we have been there,” he said, almost tauntingly, to Tehran.

Hackers backing Tehran have targeted U.S. banks, defense contractors and oil industry companies following American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities — but so far have not caused widespread disruptions to critical infrastructure or the economy. But that could change if the ceasefire between Iran and Israel collapses or if independent hacking groups supporting Iran make good on promises to wage their own digital conflict against the U.S., analysts and cyber experts say. The U.S. strikes could even prompt Iran, Russia, China and North Korea to double down on investments in cyberwarfare, according to Arnie Bellini, a tech entrepreneur and investor. Bellini noted that hacking operations are much cheaper than bullets, planes or nuclear arms — what defense analysts call kinetic warfare.

President Donald Trump has explained why he so strongly believes that Iran’s nuclear program had been reduced to “total obliteration” — revealing that Israeli agents had entered the bombed sites to confirm the destruction firsthand. “Israel is doing a report on it now,” Trump told reporters. “I was told they said it was total obliteration. You know they have guys that go in there after the hit… and they said it was total obliteration.” The president doubled down on the effectiveness of the surprise airstrike, dismissing a leaked U.S. intelligence assessment suggesting Iran could resume enrichment within months. “They didn’t have a chance to get anything out,” Trump insisted. “We acted fast. If it would have taken two weeks, maybe.

US President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that Israeli agents entered the Fordo nuclear facility after the US strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear sites. Speaking to reporters from the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump denied reports that the US strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months “It was obliteration, and you’re going to see that,” he said. “Israel is going to report on it now.  I understand. And it was total obliteration. You know they have guys that go in there after the hit. And they said it was total obliteration.” However, Kan News reported Israeli officials as saying that they have no information about such an operation.

A U.S. intelligence report suggests that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months after U.S. strikes and was not “completely and fully obliterated” as President Donald Trump has said, according to two people familiar with the early assessment. The report issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency on Monday contradicts statements from Trump about the status of Iran’s nuclear facilities. According to the people, the report found that while the Sunday strikes at the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites did significant damage, the facilities were not totally destroyed. The people were not authorized to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.