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Iranian strikes have damaged structures on or near communication and radar systems at a minimum of seven U.S. military facilities across the Middle East since Saturday (Feb. 28), according to a New York Times (NYT) analysis of satellite imagery and verified videos.
Iran has so far targeted at least 11 U.S. military facilities since the United States and Israel began striking Iran on Saturday:
The total cost of destroyed American military equipment approached $2 billion, according to Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency's (AA) estimate.
Satellite imagery and verified footage showed damage on or close to radar systems used to track incoming ballistic missiles, satellite dishes, radomes, and weatherproof covers protecting sensitive equipment used by forces to communicate over long distances across bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The targeted locations appear to indicate Iran was aiming to disrupt the U.S. military's ability to communicate and coordinate, the Times reported.
In Bahrain, a verified video showed an Iranian one-way attack drone striking a radome at the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama on Saturday.
Satellite imagery the following day showed that at least one additional radome had been destroyed. The two demolished structures were identified as AN/GSC-52B SATCOM terminals, which play a key role in facilitating high-capacity and near-real-time communication for the U.S. military.
At Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the U.S. military's largest base in the Middle East, satellite imagery from Sunday showed a tent surrounded by satellite dishes had been destroyed, and some dishes likely damaged.
An AN/FPS-132 early warning radar system valued at $1.1 billion was also hit with a missile strike on Saturday.
Qatar confirmed the radar was hit and damaged. Iran had struck a communications radome at the same base with a ballistic missile during the 12-day Iran-Israel war last June.
At Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, satellite imagery showed that at least three radomes had been damaged or destroyed by Sunday morning.
At nearby Ali al-Salem Air Base, at least six buildings adjacent to satellite communications infrastructure were damaged or destroyed, with the same area struck again by Tuesday, damaging two additional buildings near satellite equipment.
In Saudi Arabia, the IRGC announced Saturday night that Prince Sultan Air Base was targeted with missiles and drones.
Satellite imagery captured Tuesday showed that a structure near a radome within a fenced-off area was largely destroyed, indicating the Iranians may have been specifically targeting a communications section of the site.
In the UAE, low-resolution satellite imagery of a military installation outside Al Ruwais showed that several structures were damaged.
An AN/TPY-2 radar system, used to detect and track ballistic missiles and crucial for coordinating missile interception, appeared to have been stationed next to one of the buildings hit.
Iran claimed to have destroyed the radar component of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system deployed there, estimated to be worth $500 million.
At Al Dhafra Air Base, satellite imagery showed tightly clustered buildings and tents within a compound were heavily damaged, with the base struck again on Monday.
Additional damage was confirmed at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and at military facilities in Dubai, Iraq, and Kuwait, though the structures damaged at those locations did not appear to be near communications or radar systems.
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The United States has lost nearly $2 billion worth of military equipment since operations began Saturday, according to estimates and data compiled by Anadolu Agency.
The chief driver was the $1.1 billion AN/FPS-132 early warning radar at Al-Udeid.
Three F-15E Strike Eagles lost in a friendly fire incident by Kuwaiti air defenses on Sunday added an estimated $282 million in replacement costs, though all six aircrew survived.
The two AN/GSC-52B SATCOM terminals destroyed at the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain cost approximately $20 million, including deployment and installation.
The AN/TPY-2 radar component reportedly destroyed in the UAE is estimated at $500 million.
Six U.S. service members were killed at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait when an Iranian drone struck a tactical operations center. A widely circulated video from Camp Buehring in Kuwait showed a drone flying over the installation before exploding within its perimeter.
Iran repeatedly targeted the military installation at Erbil International Airport in Iraq throughout Saturday and Sunday, with fires still burning into early Monday.
Satellite imagery of Jebel Ali Port in Dubai showed smoke rising from a building within a fenced U.S. Navy recreational zone.
Beyond military facilities, U.S. diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE were also struck.
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones. According to the Washington Post, the CIA station inside the compound was also hit, with part of the roof collapsing and the interior filling with smoke.
The Saudi Defense Ministry reported limited fire and minor material damage.
The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City was attacked with drone and missile strikes described as "brutal" by Kuwaiti officials. The embassy is closed until further notice, with non-essential staff and families being evacuated.
The U.S. Consulate in Dubai was hit by a suspected drone that struck a parking lot adjacent to the chancellery building.
A fire started but was quickly contained. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said all personnel were accounted for.
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