By Uzair Adam
Flights across the Middle East have been disrupted, both incoming and outgoing, as regional tensions escalate and governments cite increased security concerns.
Air traffic was significantly affected as military activity intensified, following a dramatic overnight strike by the United States on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility—a site long regarded as one of the most secure in the country.
While the U.S. Pentagon and the White House have withheld specific operational details, military leaders are expected to hold a press briefing later today.
Sources familiar with the assault, speaking anonymously, confirmed that U.S. B-2 stealth bombers deployed GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators—deep-earth bombs capable of burrowing 200 feet underground—on the Fordow enrichment site.
The bomb was used in combat for the first time in this mission.
In addition, U.S. Navy submarines reportedly launched around 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles, targeting critical infrastructure believed to support Iran’s nuclear program.
Despite its reputation as nearly impenetrable due to its mountainous location, the Fordow facility appears to have been successfully breached.
The coordinated operation came after a prolonged period of diplomatic stalemate, with President Trump citing failed negotiations as justification for the strike.
While U.S. intelligence assessments continue to assert that Iran is not currently pursuing a nuclear weapon, Trump—echoing Israeli concerns—argued that Iran retained the capability to quickly develop one, making inaction too risky.
His decision followed mounting pressure from Israeli officials and Republican lawmakers who urged a decisive military move amid reports that Israel had already damaged Iran’s air defenses, paving the way for U.S. bombers.
Israeli strikes in recent days reportedly targeted missile launchers and air-defense systems, weakening Iran’s retaliatory capabilities.
Observers note a reduction in the frequency and scale of Iran’s missile attacks, possibly due to depleted resources or strategic recalibration.
In a speech days before the American attack, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any strike on Iran would bring “irreparable damage” to the attackers.
On Saturday, reports indicated he named three potential successors in case of assassination—conspicuously omitting his son, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry had earlier warned that any American intervention would trigger a full-scale regional war.
That outcome now appears increasingly plausible.Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have already threatened to resume attacks on American vessels in the Red Sea, ending a temporary pause agreed upon in May.
“If the U.S. joins Israel militarily, we will return to targeting American interests,” a Houthi spokesman said Friday.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has voiced grave concern over the situation, warning that the conflict risks spiraling out of control, with potentially catastrophic consequences for civilians and global stability.
Trump’s direct military engagement marks a significant shift, seven years after he withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal brokered under the Obama administration. Despite early promises to strike a new agreement, diplomatic progress remained elusive.
Now, the Trump administration has abandoned any remaining diplomatic overtures, opting instead for a strategy of force—demanding Iran dismantle its nuclear ambitions or face continued military pressure.
It is a high-stakes move that could either change the strategic landscape of the Middle East—or drag it further into chaos.