Schiff Could Face Fines, Prison Time if Classified Leak Allegations Proven<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIn June, Trump announced that the U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during Israel\u2019s clashes with Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The strikes used 12 \u201cbunker buster\u201d bombs and 30 Tomahawk missiles against Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CNN later reported the DIA\u2019s initial assessment was that the sites\u2019 core components were not destroyed and Iran\u2019s program was only set back by weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump expressed public anger that the assessment leaked, blasting \u201cdumb\u201d journalists and saying the reports insulted B-2 bomber pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kurilla\u2019s departure does not appear connected to the firings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources described him as deeply wary of Iran\u2019s ambitions and said he pushed for a U.S. buildup in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His recommendations to dispatch carriers and add combat aircraft were approved quickly, reflecting confidence in his judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know that under the leadership of Admiral Brad Cooper, with the support of the Defense Department and Joint Staff, the counsel and contributions of our allies and partners, and support of our headquarters and component teams, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coastguardsmen, and Guardians of Central Command who serve this nation on the front lines of freedom will always succeed,\u201d Kurilla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added, \u201cIt has been the honor of my life to have been their commander.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CENTCOM confirmed Cooper will oversee U.S. military missions across 21 nations spanning the Middle East and Central Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran is expected to remain a central focus as experts debate how much damage the June strikes inflicted on Tehran\u2019s nuclear program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kurilla, a West Point graduate, commanded CENTCOM since 2022 and directed at least 15 major joint combat missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His final months included Operation Rough Rider against Houthi forces in Yemen and Operation Midnight Hammer targeting Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hegseth praised him in June as \u201ca bold, dynamic, and inspiring leader who strikes fear into the hearts of America\u2019s enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kurilla served extensively in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2004 and 2014, earning two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was dismissed Friday, weeks after the agency prepared a preliminary bomb-damage assessment \u2014 later leaked to the media \u2014 that indicated U.S. strikes on Iran had delayed the country\u2019s nuclear program by only a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who had led the DIA since February 2024, \u201cwill no longer serve as DIA director,\u201d a senior defense official told The Post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deputy Director Christine Bordine is now listed as acting director on the agency\u2019s official website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly fired Kruse over a \u201ca loss of confidence\u201d in the lieutenant general, two congressional officials told the New York Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DIA\u2019s classified, \u201clow confidence\u201d assessment of the June 21 airstrikes on Iran\u2019s Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz nuclear sites was leaked to CNN three days after U.S. B-2 stealth bombers and cruise missiles targeted the facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After three years leading U.S. forces in the Middle East, General Michael \u201cErik\u201d Kurilla has officially ended his<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1978"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1980,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978\/revisions\/1980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}