Israel claims victory as US intel says Iran nuclear sites not destroyed
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a "historic victory" against Iran despite a US intelligence report concluding that American strikes set back Tehran's nuclear program by just a few months.
Iran and Israel agreed a ceasefire on Tuesday ending 12 days of tit-for-tat strikes, after US President Donald Trump joined the conflict with bunker-busting bombs at the weekend that he said destroyed key Iranian nuclear sites.
A classified preliminary US intelligence report, however, concluded that American strikes on Iran set back its nuclear program by just a few months.
Trump rebuffed that claim on Tuesday, posting on his Truth Social account that "THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!"
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had previously confirmed the authenticity of the assessment but said it was "flat-out wrong".
Netanyahu, in an address to the nation after the ceasefire, announced that "we have thwarted Iran's nuclear project".
"And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt," he said.
Israel had said its........
© Al Monitor
