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Iranian missile and drone attacks caused widespread damage to U.S. military positions across the Middle East, including buildings, vehicles and aircraft, CBS News reported Tuesday, citing newly obtained photographs.
The images, provided to CBS News by active-duty service members on condition of anonymity because of military media restrictions, show damage at several U.S. positions in the region, according to the report.
“This is major damage to our bases that hasn’t been communicated to the American public,” one deployed service member told the network. “We’re standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”
At Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, one photograph shows what CBS News described as a direct hit on the rear section of a Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft, with its tail severed from its charred fuselage.
Other images from the base showed heavily damaged buildings and barracks alongside concrete “T-wall” barriers, which are designed primarily to protect against threats such as grenades and mortar fire.
Photos from Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a major staging area for U.S. Army personnel, armored vehicles and some aircraft, also showed extensive damage, according to the report.
The images emerged as the U.S. Defense Department’s inspector general released a report estimating equipment losses from the Iran war at up to $3.7 billion, including nearly 60 aircraft.
In a mandatory report to Congress, the inspector general said U.S. Central Command reported Iranian strikes on U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.
The Pentagon did not respond to CBS News’ request for comment.
“These are not ‘squirters’ getting through,” the service member said, referring to terminology used by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a March 1 attack on Kuwait’s Port of Shuaiba that killed six U.S. troops.
“We’re not defending these bases. We’re just watching them get destroyed,” the service member added.
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