The Pentagon on Sunday shared details about Operation Midnight Hammer, the massive, complicated mission that struck three key Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday, calling it the “largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history.”
Amidst this, a claim has been shared alleging that the United States used Indian airspace to launch aircraft against Iran during Operation Midnight Hammer.
A Pakistani media outlet named Express News PK has also shared the viral claim as their breaking news bulletin.
Multiple Pakistan-based accounts have shared similar claims, which can be viewed here, here, here and here.
Fact Check
Upon investigation, DFRAC found the claim to be Fake. According to a media report by Axios, the strike involved seven B-2 bombers that departed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. Aircraft flew eastward over the Atlantic, entered the Middle East via aerial refuelling corridors, struck targets in Iran, and returned without transiting South Asian or Indian airspace.
According to a Reuters report, it was reported that As Operation “Midnight Hammer” got underway on Saturday, a group of B-2 bombers took off from their base in Missouri and were noticed heading out toward the Pacific island of Guam, in what experts saw as possible pre-positioning for any U.S. decision to strike Iran.
Furthermore, we checked for the official briefing of the US Department on its attack on Iran. During a U.S. Air Force briefing broadcast on C-SPAN, a mission path graphic was shown on screen. The visual clearly illustrated a trajectory via the Atlantic and the Middle East, with no indication of Indian airspace involvement.
Conclusion
Despite viral social media claims, there is no evidence that Indian airspace was used during Operation Midnight Hammer. Visuals shown during a C-SPAN military briefing all confirm that the U.S. strike route bypassed India entirely, opting instead for a path over the Atlantic and the Middle East.
Thus, the viral claim is Fake.
