- 2 days ago
Jun 23, 2025 #WorldNewsTonight #DavidMuir #ABCNews
Ian Pannell reports from Tel Aviv as the Pentagon reveals new details about the stunning attack on three Iranian nuclear sites during an Operation called “Midnight Hammer”; Mary Bruce from the White House on Pres. Trump touting the mission’s success while urging Iran to make peace; Martha Raddatz reports on the more than 40,000 U.S troops on high alert as questions arise over how much damage was done to Iran’s nuclear program; Pierre Thomas has the latest on the U.S. stepping up its security presence in cities across America following the strikes; and more on tonight’s broadcast of World News Tonight with David Muir.
Ian Pannell reports from Tel Aviv as the Pentagon reveals new details about the stunning attack on three Iranian nuclear sites during an Operation called “Midnight Hammer”; Mary Bruce from the White House on Pres. Trump touting the mission’s success while urging Iran to make peace; Martha Raddatz reports on the more than 40,000 U.S troops on high alert as questions arise over how much damage was done to Iran’s nuclear program; Pierre Thomas has the latest on the U.S. stepping up its security presence in cities across America following the strikes; and more on tonight’s broadcast of World News Tonight with David Muir.
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00:00Tonight, the U.S. strike at Iran's nuclear facilities.
00:03What we know, how successful were the strikes,
00:06President Trump's message a short time ago.
00:08Tonight, the Pentagon now providing new details
00:10how they pulled this off in complete secrecy.
00:13We have new satellite images tonight, what they reveal,
00:16and now the U.S. on heightened alert
00:18as Iran warns of retaliation.
00:20Tonight here, Operation Midnight Hammer,
00:22the first images showing the precision U.S. strike
00:25targeting three Iranian nuclear sites,
00:27including Fordo, deep beneath the mountain.
00:30Explosions seen in the distance.
00:32The U.S. launching the largest strike by a dozen B-2 bombers,
00:36dropping never-before-used 30,000-pound bombs.
00:39Satellite images showing all three sites suffering major damage.
00:44Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before the cameras today
00:47revealing how they pulled off this high-stakes mission.
00:50Decoy planes flying toward Guam.
00:52The actual bombers flying in the other direction undetected.
00:55And what we're now learning about when President Trump gave the order.
00:59Tonight, the images that suggest Iran might have moved some nuclear material
01:03in the days before the attacks.
01:06Ian Pannell standing by with new reporting and details from inside the operation.
01:10Tonight, assessing the damage done to Iran in his address to the nation,
01:14the president last night, speaking of the strike,
01:17saying Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been totally obliterated.
01:21Tonight, Vice President J.D. Vance not going that far.
01:25And this evening, the concern for 40,000 American troops across the region
01:29amid these threats of retaliation.
01:32Mary Bruce and Martha Raddatz and what their sources are telling them tonight.
01:36The threat here at home, U.S. law enforcement on high alert across the country.
01:40And the new warning from the Department of Homeland Security.
01:43Pierre Thomas standing by on that.
01:45Also, the other news this Sunday night, the deadly boating accident capsizing in gusting winds.
01:51At least six people killed, two missing.
01:53The urgent search at this hour.
01:55And the deadly storms and life-threatening heat in the east.
01:59Three people, including twin sisters, killed outside Syracuse, New York, in Oneida County.
02:04Multiple reports of trees onto homes.
02:07150 million Americans on alert for extreme heat now from Kansas all the way to the northeast.
02:13It will feel like 110 in Washington, D.C., 105 in Philadelphia and New York City.
02:20World News Tonight begins now.
02:25From ABC News World Headquarters in New York, this is World News Tonight with David Muir.
02:33Good evening.
02:33We are here on this Sunday night after the major U.S. strikes on Iran now directly involved in this conflict.
02:38And we are learning much more tonight.
02:40Some 24 hours after U.S. bombs and missiles struck Iran's three key nuclear facilities.
02:45A fleet of B-2 bombers, some of them decoys, some taking off from the U.S. for Guam.
02:50Others then taking off in the other direction for Iran, going undetected.
02:54The B-2 bombers dropping those 30,000-pound bombs for the first time as part of this massive strike on Iran.
03:00President Trump overnight addressing the nation, calling the operation a spectacular military success.
03:05Critics on the Hill tonight warning of what could come next, with Iran now saying it will retaliate.
03:11The first video tonight coming in from inside Iran, an explosion and then a fireball near Iran's Isfahan nuclear facility.
03:18Tonight, military officials now describing the high-stakes mission involving 125 aircraft,
03:23including one group of B-2 bombers taking off from Missouri, heading to the west as a decoy,
03:28and then that second group flying in secret, heading to Iran.
03:32Those B-2 bombers dropping 14 massive ordnance penetrator bombs capable of penetrating deep underground
03:38on Iran's Fordo and Natanz nuclear sites.
03:42This is an animation, of course, and it is still unclear tonight how far those bombs penetrated beneath the Earth.
03:47In addition, Tomahawk missiles from a U.S. submarine striking the third site, Isfahan.
03:52Tonight, satellite images right here of that site one week ago,
03:55and this satellite image of the Isfahan nuclear site tonight, you can see the evidence of the damage.
04:00And this evening here, new questions about Fordo.
04:02Satellite images from the days before the strikes show a line of trucks on a service road there.
04:07Was Iran moving nuclear material in the days before the attack?
04:11Tonight, President Trump saying Iran must now make peace, warning of additional targets if they do not.
04:17We begin tonight here with our chief foreign correspondent, Ian Pannell, in Tel Aviv tonight,
04:21with new reporting, new details inside those 25 minutes over Iran.
04:27Tonight, the first video emerging from the U.S.'s audacious attack on three Iranian nuclear sites.
04:35A fireball lighting the night sky.
04:38Explosions heard in the distance at Iran's Isfahan nuclear facility.
04:42Part of the barrage that included the biggest strike by B-2 stealth bombers in U.S. history.
04:48Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before the cameras today.
04:52This is a plan that took months and weeks of positioning and preparation
04:56so that we could be ready when the President of the United States called.
05:02President Trump giving the final order for Operation Midnight Hammer last night.
05:06A highly classified, top-secret mission that only a handful of U.S. officials knew about
05:12and one that was full of deception.
05:15It took a great deal of precision.
05:17It involved misdirection.
05:20And the highest of operational security.
05:24About a dozen B-2 bombers taking off from Missouri early Saturday morning
05:28with a decoy group of about half of them heading west towards Guam with trackable movements.
05:34And while the world was looking the other way, a short time later,
05:37seven more B-2s taking off, but this time heading in the opposite direction,
05:42to the east, directly towards Iran, with no transponders and minimal communications.
05:48Those bombers completing multiple mid-air refuelling throughout the 18 hours it took to fly to Iran.
05:55The longest since right after the 9-11 attacks,
05:57and once over land, linking up with additional support aircraft.
06:01The Pentagon saying the 25-minute mission inside Iranian airspace began at 6.40 p.m. Eastern.
06:08A first wave of U.S. fighter jets sweeping in front of the B-2s
06:12to protect them from possible enemy missiles and warplanes, all part of the deception.
06:17Then a lead B-2 bomber dropping the first two 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs
06:23called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOPS,
06:26on Iran's Fordo nuclear site buried deep under a mountain.
06:30The remaining bombers then hit their targets as well,
06:34with a total of 14 MOPS dropped against two nuclear target areas.
06:40Those massive bombs hitting facilities of both Fordo and Natanz,
06:44marking the first time they've been used on the battlefield.
06:47We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the U.S. strike package on the way in.
06:54Iran's fighters did not fly,
06:57and it appears that Iran's surface-to-air missile systems did not see us.
07:06Right after those bunker-busting bombs struck, U.S. missiles hitting a third target.
07:12A U.S. submarine in the Central Command area of responsibility
07:15launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles
07:20against key surface infrastructure targets at Esfahan.
07:24In total, 125 aircraft and 75 precision-guided weapons were used.
07:30New before-and-after satellite images showing the destruction left behind at these sites.
07:35What appears to be extensive damage at buildings in Esfahan and in Natanz,
07:40an 18-foot-wide hole directly over part of the underground military complex there.
07:45Final battle damage will take some time,
07:48but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites
07:52sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.
07:55But questions tonight about the impact of those U.S. attacks
07:59and whether Iran pre-empted them.
08:01Satellite images from the days before the strike
08:04showing unusual activity at the Fordo nuclear site.
08:07A line of trucks seen on a service road.
08:10It's unclear if Iran anticipated the bombings
08:13and moved nuclear material beforehand.
08:17Just hours after the U.S. strike, Iran retaliating,
08:21firing around 20 ballistic missiles at Israel.
08:23Massive destruction here in northern Tel Aviv.
08:26You can see the clear-up operation underway,
08:28but just look at the destruction to what was a residential apartment block.
08:33Again, Iran responding after those American attacks.
08:37Iran calling the attack outrageous and a breach of international law,
08:41threatening a heavy response and warning U.S. bases in the region are vulnerable to attack.
08:46President Trump addressing the nation after the attack,
08:49saying Iran must now make peace,
08:51warning Iran and its proxies against any retaliation against the U.S.,
08:56saying the U.S. will hit more targets with precision, speed and skill.
09:01Tonight I can report to the world
09:03that the strikes were a spectacular military success.
09:08And late today, those B-2 bombers that hit Iran
09:11safely returning home to Missouri.
09:14Our affiliate, KMBC, was there
09:16some 36 hours after they began their mission.
09:20A great sight to see those B-2 bombers back on the ground here in the U.S.
09:24Let's get right back to Ian Pannell live tonight in Tel Aviv.
09:27Ian, you and I were on the air last night here after these attacks were revealed.
09:31As we know, there are tens of thousands of U.S. troops stationed across the region.
09:35Obviously, major concern with Iran saying it will retaliate the safety of U.S. troops
09:39throughout the Middle East of utmost importance tonight.
09:44Yeah, that's right.
09:45In fact, the president just posting about the B-2's landing,
09:49saying they've landed safely in Missouri.
09:51Thank you for a job well done.
09:52But yes, tens of thousands, around 40,000 troops still in the region.
09:56Extra security precautions have now been put in place.
10:00Iran, though, saying later today that it was the U.S. that decided to destroy diplomacy
10:06with last night's strike and that the Iranian military will, quote,
10:10decide the timing, nature and scale of its response.
10:13David.
10:14Ian Pannell, who was on the air with us deep into the night last night,
10:16back here again tonight, and we appreciate it.
10:18Thank you, Ian.
10:19President Trump tonight calling the operation a spectacular success overnight
10:23in his address to the nation, saying the strikes totally obliterated
10:26those three nuclear enrichment sites.
10:28Tonight, Vice President Vance not going that far, the Pentagon also cautioning
10:32it is still too early to tell the extent of the damage.
10:36Here's ABC's Chief White House Correspondent, Mary Bruce, tonight.
10:39Tonight, 24 hours after President Trump launched that massive attack on Iran,
10:44questions remain over how much damage was done to Iran's nuclear program.
10:48The president last night claiming it was destroyed.
10:51Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.
10:56Today, Vice President J.D. Vance not going that far,
11:00saying instead that Iran's nuclear program was substantially set back.
11:05We set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night.
11:09Whether it's years or beyond that, we know it's going to be a very long time
11:13before Iran can even build a nuclear weapon if they want to.
11:17We feel very confident that the Fordow nuclear site was substantially set back,
11:22and that was our goal.
11:23Tonight, we're learning more about what led up to the president's decision to strike Iran.
11:28A senior administration official telling ABC News he was hoping for a diplomatic solution
11:33up to the final days.
11:35Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, leading that effort.
11:38The president himself talking with Turkish President Erdogan,
11:42hoping Turkey could help facilitate talks with Iran.
11:45But it was not to be.
11:46Sources tell us Iran's supreme leader, fearing for his life,
11:50went into hiding and was unable to approve the meeting.
11:53As diplomacy faltered, the Pentagon working on a parallel track to prepare the attack,
11:58the president giving the final order yesterday, just minutes before.
12:02Today, ABC's John Carl asking the vice president.
12:05The big question is, is the United States now at war with Iran?
12:09No, we're not at war with Iran, John.
12:11We're at war with Iran's nuclear program.
12:13The vice president insisting the U.S. is not seeking regime change,
12:17noting the U.S. did not hit any civilian or military targets.
12:21If you look at what we did, it was very precise, very narrowly tailored to our objective.
12:26And if the Iranians decide to expand this, then that's ultimately their decision,
12:31and the president of the United States will respond in kind.
12:34Echoing the president's warning from last night that the U.S. has other targets in its sights
12:39if Iran chooses to retaliate.
12:41If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill.
12:48So let's get right back to Mary Bruce, live again tonight at the White House.
12:52And Mary, Vice President Vance, as you reported there,
12:54saying the U.S. also is not seeking regime change in Iran.
12:57He said that today.
12:59But we also know that just a short time ago,
13:00a somewhat different message from President Trump when it comes to the leaders of Iran.
13:05David, the president just now suggesting that maybe there should be a change in leadership,
13:09saying, quote, if the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again,
13:14why wouldn't there be a regime change?
13:16This is the president continues to push for those talks and warn against retaliation.
13:20David.
13:20Mary Bruce, back with us tonight.
13:22Mary, thank you.
13:23And tonight, as we reported here off the top, the concern for U.S. troops across the Middle East now.
13:27More than 40,000 deployed across the region.
13:30ABC's Martha Raddatz with us.
13:31And Martha, you have new reporting here.
13:32What's being done to protect U.S. troops?
13:35Well, David, there's no question that these 40,000 troops could be targeted by Iran
13:40with American forces spread from Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar and Syria.
13:45The U.S. military is doing whatever they can to protect the forces.
13:49Patriot missile batteries are in place that can bring down Iranian rockets or missiles,
13:54as well as systems called C-RAMs, large radar-guided high-speed guns that can track and shoot down
14:02incoming rocket and mortar fires.
14:04Additional fighter jets have also been sent, F-22s, F-35s, and the USS Carl Vincent Carial
14:11Battle Group is currently in the Arabian Sea.
14:14But remember, in 2020, after the U.S. killed the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Qasem Soleimani,
14:20I was there in Iran when they launched a dozen missiles at the Al-Assad airbase in Iraq,
14:26leaving about 100 American troops injured with mild traumatic brain injury.
14:32So the Pentagon remains on edge tonight and on ferry.
14:36High alert.
14:36David?
14:37In addition to all the families back here at home worried about loved ones,
14:40Martha Raddatz with us.
14:40Martha, thank you.
14:41Now to those 30,000-pound bombs used in conflict for the first time.
14:45Let's bring in ABC's military analyst, former Marine Colonel Steve Ganyard, back with us.
14:49And Steve, this is the first time that the U.S. has used these bunker buster bombs in combat.
14:54I'm curious, what do we know about the damage so far?
14:56I know it's still early, but what do we know about the damage they caused?
15:00The irony, David, is we probably won't know.
15:02Because remember that these halls that they were attacking, these enrichment halls,
15:05are 200 to 300 feet below ground.
15:08Now we've seen some satellite imagery that shows what looked to be puncture marks.
15:12We know that the president was happy with it.
15:14So if the Iranians don't hit back at the U.S. or its allies, this could be the end of the U.S. involvement.
15:21If they do come back, as Martha noted, at U.S. troops in the region or allies in the region,
15:26this could be the beginning of something more prolonged and bigger for the U.S.
15:29Colonel Steve Ganyard back with us here.
15:31Steve, thank you.
15:32We're going to turn to the potential threat here at home as well.
15:35There's the new warning tonight from the Department of Homeland Security.
15:38Our Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas back with us tonight.
15:40How are U.S. officials cautioning local officials to prepare here?
15:44And what have you learned?
15:45David, today FBI and Homeland Security officials hosted conference calls
15:49with the nation's governors and top law enforcement officials
15:52to discuss how the U.S. missile strikes in Iran
15:55impact an already dangerous threat environment here at home.
15:58You can see stepped-up security today in Los Angeles, New York, and here in the nation's capital.
16:04And today, Homeland Security issuing a bulletin
16:06calling on the public to report anything suspicious, with Secretary Noem stating
16:11that what's happening in Iran brings the potential for increased threats to the homeland,
16:16including in the form of possible cyberattacks and acts of violence.
16:19David?
16:20All right.
16:20Our coverage of the U.S. strikes on Iran for this evening, Pierre.
16:24In the meantime, the other major news this Sunday night.
16:26Deadly storms and more than 150 million Americans now on alert from Nebraska to the northeast
16:31for life-threatening heat.
16:32And ahead of the extreme heat, heavy rain, storms triggering dangerous flash flooding.
16:37Images from central New York, three people killed, including two children in the town
16:41of Clark Mills, outside Syracuse in Oneida County.
16:44Here's Morgan Norwood tonight.
16:47Tonight, at least three dead outside Syracuse, New York, after powerful storms, flooded roads,
16:53and snapped trees and power poles.
16:55In the hamlet of Clark Mills in Oneida County, trees on homes.
16:59Authorities here say three people were killed, including six-year-old twin girls.
17:04New York's governor declaring a state of emergency for the storms.
17:07And for the first major heat wave of the summer that's starting to strangle the northeast,
17:12life-threatening, record-breaking temperatures on tap from New York to Philly to Boston.
17:17And after those deadly twisters tore through parts of North Dakota, killing at least three
17:22people, some of the same areas are now under a new tornado watch, the threat of more heat-fueled
17:28storms growing tonight.
17:30And David, heat kills thousands each year, more than any other type of extreme weather.
17:34And here in New York City, air quality alerts up for tomorrow, with officials warning people,
17:39especially those sensitive groups, to take this heat seriously.
17:42David?
17:43No question about that.
17:44Morgan, thank you.
17:44Let's get right to meteorologist Brittany Bell from our New York station, WABC.
17:48Brittany?
17:50David, this first major heat wave of the season could be life-threatening.
17:54So let's get right to the alerts stretching from Louisiana all the way to Maine, including
17:58an excessive heat warning that includes major cities like Washington, D.C. and Boston.
18:03High temperatures in D.C. could get at or above 100 degrees on Monday and Tuesday.
18:08And areas like New York and other locations could even challenge record high temperatures.
18:12The humidity even making it feel as high as 110 degrees.
18:17Now, looking ahead to the overnight lows, no relief there, only dropping down to the upper
18:2170s and the lower 80s.
18:23David?
18:24All right, Brittany, great to have you on a Sunday night.
18:26When we come back, remembering a beloved actress known for her roles in Samford and Son and
18:30the Waltons.
18:31And the boating tragedy tonight amid gusting winds, at least six people dead when their boat
18:35capsized.
18:36And the urgent search at this hour for people still missing.
18:40Tonight here, the tragedy on Lake Tahoe in California.
18:44Authorities say at least six people were killed.
18:46Two others are still missing at this hour after their boat capsized during a vicious storm.
18:51Winds gusting up to 35 miles an hour, waves up to eight feet high.
18:54Two others rescued.
18:55They're being treated tonight for hypothermia and other injuries.
18:59When we come back here on a Sunday night, we remember a beloved actress from Samford and
19:02Son and the Waltons.
19:04Tonight, we learned that actress Lynn Hamilton has died of natural causes.
19:07As best known for her roles in Samford and Son, the Waltons, and Roots, the next generation,
19:12Lynn Hamilton was 95 years old.
19:14When we come back here tonight, the B-2 bombers back in Missouri at this hour and what President
19:19Trump just said about the pilots.
19:22Before we go tonight, President Trump this evening praising the B-2 pilots who have just
19:26returned from their mission over Iran.
19:28Late today, the president posting, the great B-2 pilots have just landed safely in Missouri.
19:32Thank you for a job well done.
19:35President Trump now warning Iran must now make peace.
19:37Of course, the world awaiting Iran's response.
19:39Iran saying it will respond.
19:42Game seven of the NBA finals moments from now.
19:44I'll see you tomorrow night.
19:46Good night.
19:48Thank you for making World News Tonight with David Muir, America's most watched newscast.
19:53I'll see you tomorrow night.