Iranian Missile Attacks Cause Extensive Damage to U.S. Bases in Middle East

Newly obtained photos by CBS News reveal substantial harm to U.S. positions in the Middle East following missile and drone attacks by Iran. Active service members provided these images under anonymity due to strict military media guidelines.

“Major damage to our bases is not being communicated to the American public,” a deployed service member disclosed. “We’re standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”

Among the photos is one from Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia showing an attacked Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft. The plane’s tail is severed from the charred fuselage that supports a vital rotating radar for intelligence gathering.

Photos from Camp Buehring in Kuwait depict devastated buildings and barracks alongside still-standing cement “T-wall” structures, once crucial against grenade and mortar attacks but ineffective against aerial assaults. Camp Buehring serves as a major staging site for U.S. Army ground troops and vehicles.

The Defense Department’s inspector general released a report detailing “equipment losses” from the conflict with Iran totaling up to $3.7 billion. This includes nearly 60 aircraft. The report, aimed at Congress, also revealed strikes at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. The Pentagon did not issue a comment.

“These are not ‘squirters’ getting through,” a service member remarked, referencing comments by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a deadly attack at Port of Shuaiba, Kuwait.