President Donald Trump's attack on Iran's nuclear sites caught the world - including its target - by surprise.
However the strikes were carried out as a part of a bold plan to wrongfoot Iran, according to new reports.
Trump was leaning towards pulling the trigger for several days when he told the press on Thursday that he was giving Iran a two-week deadline before he made a decision, CNN reported.
He believed issuing the ultimatum would 'throw off the Iranians and conceal his plans', sources reportedly said.
The statement was used to lull Iran into a false sense of security even though Trump had all but made up his mind to strike.
Bombs rained down on Iran's Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities just two days later in a targeted US strike, sending shockwaves throughout the world.
According to administration insiders, the 'two-week' ploy was just one part of a concerted effort to conceal the true conversations taking place in Trump's 'war room.'
Separately, the Pentagon deployed several B-2 bombers to serve as decoys, flying west from their base in Missouri in the hopes that they would be picked up by flight trackers.
Iranian intelligence would, if all went to plan, calculate the timing of any potential attack based on the flight path over the Pacific Ocean, coming from the west.
In reality, seven other B-2 bombers actually departed Missouri, heading east. They refueled several times undetected and attacked three nuclear facilities from the opposite direction that Iran was expecting the attack from.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boasted of the success of the mission, telling reporters on Sunday: 'Our B-2s went in and out and back without the world knowing at all.'
Officials added it was the most B-2 bomber strikes carried out in history.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said: 'A large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States as part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise.
'Part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy, a deception effort known only to an extremely small number of climbers and key leaders here in Washington.'
Caine claimed no Iranian planes were deployed to intercept the bombers, and the U.S. planes used in the strike were not hit with any fire.
Caine said the mission was named 'Operation Midnight Hammer' and was meant to degrade the country's nuclear programs.
'Iran's nuclear ambitions have been obliterated,' Hegseth added, noting the operation was an 'incredible and overwhelming success.' It did not target Iranian troops or Iranian people, the defense secretary stressed.
But assurances that the operation was an overwhelming success have been questioned by local Iranian media after reports from Iranian lawmakers that the damage was 'quite superficial.'
Iran is believed to have filled in tunnels at its underground Fordow enrichment facility before the strike in an effort to protect the sites from the strikes.
Trump faced backlash for his faux two-week deadline at the time, facing mockery for seemingly backing out of making a decision after days of hinting at US involvement.
He had already delivered a terrifying warning to Iranians to leave Tehran amid Israel's bombings, marking the first warning sign that he was planning to intervene.
'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' the U.S. president wrote in a Truth Social post, as he was attending the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada on Monday.
But Trump has been known to give such two week deadlines in the past, including most recently to Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, which ultimately passed by with no action.
He was referred to as 'TACO' online, an abbreviation for 'Trump always chickens out', while others praised him for taking the diplomacy route.
But Trump didn't respond to either the criticism or praise for his decision.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the New York Times Trump 'successfully accomplished one of the most complex and historic military operations of all time.'
She said 'many presidents have talked about this, but only President Trump had the guts to do it.'
The surprise attack on Saturday utilized seven B-2 stealth bombers that dropped 14 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' bombs on Iran's primary nuclear facility.
Over 125 U.S. aircraft participated in the mission, including bombers, fighters, and refueling tankers, Caine said.
Trump has described the attacks as a 'spectacular military success' and later taunted Iran further by suggesting there should be a change of regime.
'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change?' he wrote.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged US citizens in the country to evacuate if an opportunity arose to escape safely.
'The Department of State has begun assisted departure flights from Israel,' Huckabee said. 'With airspace mostly closed, the challenges are great. If given an option, TAKE IT.'
According to new reports, Iran had warned Trump it would unleash sleeper cell terrorists to wreak havoc on US soil if he intervened.
Trump received a communiqué from the regime just days before he ordered US military strikes on its nuclear facilities, sources told NBC News.
The State Department on Sunday doubled the number of emergency evacuation flights it is providing for American citizens wishing to leave Israel, ordered the departure of nonessential staff from the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon and is stepping up travel warnings around the Middle East because of concerns Iran will retaliate.
In an alert sent to all Americans worldwide and posted to its website on Sunday, the State Department warned all U.S. citizens abroad to exercise caution.
'The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East,' it said.
'There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises US citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution.'
The war between the two countries began when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion on Friday, June 13.
At least 722 people, including 285 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,500 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
Iran has retaliated by firing more than 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. The strikes killed at least 24 people.
Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but it is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium up to 60 percent - a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.
Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with a nuclear weapons program but has never acknowledged it.
