‘Very Tentative’: Brit Hume Warns Against Relying On Early Iran Strike Reports

Brit Hume cast doubt on Fox News Wednesday on preliminary reports about the damage caused by U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling them “very tentative” and “early.”

CNN‘s Natasha Bertrand reported an early Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment suggesting the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites delayed Tehran’s nuclear program by just a few months. During an appearance on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Hume said the accuracy of such early assessments, particularly those about underground damage, could not be reliably confirmed within the first 48 to 72 hours.

“The best thing you can say about that preliminary report that leaked out yesterday was that it was very very tentative and very very early. And it was marked as low confidence. And you know there’s only so much you can know about underground damage from massive bombing in the 48 or 72 hours after it happened. Because in order to really know you’d have to be in there,” Hume told Baier. “Nobody within the reach of the Defense Intelligence Agency that I’ve ever heard of would be in a position to assess that.”

Hume took aim at CNN for relying on sources that he said have a questionable track record.

WATCH: 

“We have reporters working on this story. One in particular who works for CNN, who is a person who fell for the Steele Dossier, hook, line and sinker. Who wrote [about] the Hunter Biden laptop and bought into the story that [it] was Russian disinformation. And so someone, she wasn’t working for CNN at the time, it’s not clear to me how she ever got a job there, but CNN took her anyway ,” Hume added.

While Hume said subsequent intelligence reports are more reliable, he urged caution and said the situation would require more time and on-the-ground investigations. (RELATED: Just About Everyone Dumps Cold Water On CNN Report Alleging Minor Damage To Iran Nuke Sites)

“I think that the subsequent intelligence reports we’ve heard about are more reliable. But you know this all has to await a longer term situation, which somebody’s gonna have to get in there and really find out. But the Iranians themselves were saying today that their nuclear program was badly damaged, so maybe we ought to rest with that,” Hume said.

The DIA, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and even the Iranian government disputed a CNN report from Tuesday that claimed that U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites caused minimal damage. While CNN’s sources described the report as a “low confidence” assessment, suggesting limited damage, multiple agencies, including the DIA and the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission countered that the strikes had significant impacts on Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that the FBI is actively pursuing the individuals responsible for leaking sensitive information to CNN regarding the damage to Iranian nuclear facilities. Leavitt said the FBI is investigating the leak of a “top-secret intelligence analysis” to the news outlet.

At a NATO summit Wednesday, President Donald Trump told NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell that the DIA’s report on the destruction of Iranian nuclear sites was insufficient, as it was based on initial assessments and did not fully capture the extent of the damage caused by the B-2 bombers. CNN issued a statement defending Bertrand’s reporting and claimed it was not “reasonable” to criticize their journalists for accurately reporting about the intelligence assessment.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.