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White House Invites B-2 Pilots to July 4 Flyover Celebrations

The celebration highlights the pilots and bombers that struck Iran’s nuclear sites despite disputes over the raid’s actual impact.

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Shelby Hewitt appears in court on Dec. 12, 2023.

Overview

  • White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the B-2 pilots who flew Operation Midnight Hammer will attend the July 4 event in Washington alongside additional personnel from Whiteman Air Force Base.
  • The flyover will feature B-2 Spirit bombers flanked by F-22s and F-35s—the same aircraft used to hit Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan in the late June strikes.
  • Seven B-2s dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs on Fordo and Natanz during a nonstop 36-hour mission requiring multiple mid-air refuelings and decoy sorties, while submarines launched Tomahawk missiles at Isfahan.
  • U.S. intelligence remains divided on the setback to Iran’s nuclear program, with some assessments citing less than a year of delay and others projecting a multi-year impact.
  • Iran has acknowledged serious damage to its sites but has suspended IAEA inspections, leaving independent verification of underground destruction unresolved.