It was an unprecedented attack years in the making, with some last-minute misdirection meant to give the operation a powerful element of surprise.

The United States has attacked three sites in Iran, inserting itself into Israel’s war aimed at destroying the country’s nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe that prompted fears of a wider regional conflict.

Trump announced on Saturday that the United States had completed a “very successful attack” on Iran’s key nuclear facilities — including Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — in a post on his Truth Social platform. He wrote that a “full payload of BOMBS” were dropped, and U.S. planes were safely on their way home.