The Pentagon is still putting on a brave face, but U.S. media can't hold back anymore: actual U.S. military casualties are far higher than reported.
The Pentagon continues to downplay the situation, but U.S. media has finally broken the silence.
Recently, U.S. media cited multiple informed officials stating that U.S. military casualties in the Middle East conflict are significantly higher than what official reports suggest.
Take last week's Iranian attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan—official reports stated two dead, one injured, and one missing. However, in reality, U.S. forces stationed in Jordan were hit at least three times within a single week, resulting in dozens of soldiers injured and several helicopters destroyed.
A U.S. military official explained that the Pentagon sees no need to disclose specific injury figures, as most of the wounded sustained only "minor injuries" and could be quickly treated and returned to duty. Releasing such information might cause unnecessary panic.
This is indeed the Pentagon’s policy: only fatalities are publicly disclosed; injuries are not included. Yet many analysts argue that the process for reporting U.S. troop deaths often involves "drawing lots," a phenomenon typically observed when actual casualties far exceed official reports.
Israel’s military also engages in similar public posturing—perhaps the Pentagon simply borrowed ideas from Israel’s playbook. After all, one is the world’s top military power, the other the dominant force in the Middle East; too many casualties would damage their respective reputations.
It's not just about casualty numbers. The U.S. Central Command has recently stopped disclosing the number of targets struck in Iran. Previously, they provided exact figures, but now it's vague—just "dozens"—and many of these estimates come directly from statements made by Trump.
Nobody doubts the overwhelming military disparity between the U.S. and Iran. But the U.S. military performance has been poor. The fact that Iran still possesses the capability to launch large-scale missile and drone attacks alone proves that previous U.S. operations have failed.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871314615424000/
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