Photographs obtained by CBS and reported by the BBC depict widespread destruction at multiple US military installations across the Middle East. The images, provided by active-duty personnel, show severely damaged infrastructure, including flattened trailers and a Boeing E-3 Sentry radar aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia that appears to be severed in two.
The visual evidence aligns with a recent report from the Pentagon’s watchdog, which confirmed that Iranian strikes have damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases throughout the region, including in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. According to the report, equipment losses have reached approximately $3.7 billion, with total US spending on the conflict amounting to $33.4 billion as of June 29.
An anonymous military source cited by CBS suggested that the scale of the damage has not been fully disclosed to the American public. Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, argued that the images indicate inadequate defensive preparations. Katulis further noted that the diversion of military assets to the Middle East has potentially left US interests in Asia more vulnerable to China and emboldened Russia regarding its activities near NATO allies.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the cost of lost military hardware—including drones, aircraft, and missile defense systems—totals $1.9 billion. The CBO noted that its assessment faced challenges due to a lack of direct cooperation from the Department of Defense. The conflict, which began on February 28 following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, has prompted ongoing political debate in Washington. On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives voted for the third time to pass a measure aimed at ending US military action in Iran without congressional authorization.
Source: BBC News
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.