The Indian government has denied reports that the United States used Indian airspace to launch an attack on Iran. These reports had been spreading on social media, but on Sunday, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) called the claim “fake.”

According to PIB, India did not allow the US to use its airspace for the military action called ‘Operation Midnight Hammer.’ In a fact-check post, PIB said, “Several social media accounts have claimed that Indian airspace was used by the United States to launch aircraft against Iran during Operation #MidnightHammer. #PIBFactCheck This claim is FAKE. Indian Airspace was NOT used by the US during Operation #MidnightHammer.”

The statement also mentioned that General Dan Caine, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained the actual flight route of the US aircraft in a press briefing, and confirmed that they did not fly through Indian airspace.
The US carried out airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfaha, under a secret mission named Operation Midnight Hammer, according to General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He said over 125 aircraft were involved in the mission, including seven B-2 Spirit bombers that dropped more than a dozen powerful 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on the Fordow and Natanz sites. Tomahawk missiles were also fired at the Isfahan facility. To keep the mission a surprise, some US aircraft flew toward the Pacific Ocean as a decoy.

The strikes started at 6:40 p.m. ET, and the bombers left Iranian airspace by 7:05 p.m. ET. The bombers took off from a base in Missouri, and this was the longest B-2 bomber flight since 2001. In total, the operation used 14 bunker-buster bombs, and over 24 Tomahawk missiles, and included refueling and escort aircraft.