New imagery reveals US underplaying extent of damage from Iranian attacks
The US has been underplaying the extent of the damage inflicted by Iran on its assets in the Middle East, according to new images obtained by CBS News.
Active service members sent the imagery, which shows damage and destruction of buildings and vehicles, to the news outlet on condition of anonymity.
One image shows a direct hit on the back half of a Boeing E-3 Sentry four-engine aircraft at the Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia.
Other images from the base show hollowed-out buildings and barracks, while pictures from Camp Buehring in Kuwait show a similar scene.
"This is major damage to our bases that hasn't been communicated to the American public," one deployed service member said.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
"We're standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face."
The US government has long been accused of downplaying the extent of the damage caused by Iran's retaliation in the US-Israel war against the country.
There have also been mounting concerns over the depletion of munitions stocks that have resulted from the war, which has been ongoing since February.
Munitions 'shortfall'
In a report on Monday, the US Department of War’s inspector general said the country was facing ammunition “shortfalls” due to the war.
"The munitions expenditure on OEF [Operation Epic Fury] has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply," the report, which was submitted to Congress by the inspector general, said.
To deal with shortfalls and delays, the Pentagon is "working to streamline procurement processes and production lead times, and to stockpile critical materials, components, and selected munitions," the report added.
Though it noted that expanding production capacities requires "significant lead time”.
The Department of War report contradicted US President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s claims that the war had caused no munitions shortfalls.
Middle East Eye reported in the early days of the conflict that the US faced a shortage of missile interceptors and that Gulf states were put on waiting lists.
The inspector general's report also identified losses to the American fleet, including four F-15 fighters destroyed, one F-35 fighter damaged, seven KC-135 tanker aircraft damaged, and up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones destroyed.
It also confirmed that the US Navy's main logistics hub in the region, located in Bahrain, had been targeted by Iran with drone and ballistic missile strikes.
The report said “hundreds of buildings and structures” at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan have been damaged or destroyed by Iranian strikes.
The report says it is not yet clear if all the bases will be rebuilt, or who will foot the bill. It does, however, say the estimated cost of the war is around $33.4bn, but that does not include infrastructure repair costs.
Out of that $33.4bn, $3.7bn is equipment loss and $22.3bn is expended munitions.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
