Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired a top Pentagon official whose preliminary report on damage to Iran’s nuclear sites by U.S. strikes allegedly angered President Donald Trump.

From February 2024 until Friday, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse was head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, whose early assessment of the June bombings found damage to be not as severe as the president claimed. In response, Trump fumed about news stories on that report by The New York Times and CNN.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, fired Kruse due to “loss of confidence” in the 34-year Air Force veteran, two people familiar with the move told The Washington Post.

The Defense Department declined to comment to the Daily Beast on the reason for Kruse’s firing, candidates for his replacement, and whether he

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