The damage inflicted by Iran on U.S. military bases far exceeds the extent disclosed by the Pentagon, with all strategic locations of the U.S. military in the Middle East suffering destruction.
Third-party satellite imagery shows that since the outbreak of war, Iran has attacked at least 228 facilities and assets across various U.S. military bases throughout the Middle East. At least 228 buildings and infrastructure installations within these bases have been damaged or destroyed.
An analysis of satellite images reveals that Iran's aerial strikes since the war began have damaged or destroyed at least 228 facilities and assets across U.S. military bases in the Middle East, including hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft, as well as critical equipment such as radar stations, communication systems, and air defense units. The extent of destruction surpasses the data previously reported and acknowledged by the U.S. government. Iranian officials stated that the threat posed by these air strikes has rendered some U.S. bases in the region too dangerous for garrisoning, prompting the early evacuation of most U.S. personnel from these facilities to areas beyond Iran’s strike range.
Currently, obtaining satellite imagery from the Middle East is extremely difficult. Two major commercial satellite image providers, Vantor and Planet, restricted, delayed, or indefinitely suspended the release of images from the region upon request from their primary client—the U.S. government—during the conflict, making it challenging or even impossible to assess the effectiveness of Iran’s retaliatory strikes. These restrictions took effect within less than two weeks after the war began.
However, Iranian official news agencies have regularly released high-resolution satellite images via their social media accounts since the beginning, claiming these images document the damage inflicted on U.S. military installations. As one of the first comprehensive public assessments of damage to American facilities in the region, The Washington Post analyzed over 100 high-resolution satellite images released by Iran in this study. By comparing these images with lower-resolution data from the European Union’s Copernicus satellite system and high-definition imagery from Planet (where available), the newspaper confirmed the authenticity of 109 images. The Washington Post excluded 19 Iranian satellite images from its analysis because comparisons with Copernicus data failed to yield definitive conclusions. No signs of special image processing were detected in the Iranian images.
Independent verification by The Washington Post reporters using Planet’s satellite imagery revealed 10 damaged or destroyed facilities not visible in the images released by Iran. In total, the newspaper identified 217 damaged facilities and 11 pieces of equipment across 15 U.S. military bases in the region. The newspaper’s analytical report indicated that experts who reviewed the findings pointed out three major deficiencies in the U.S. military: underestimating Iran’s precision strike capabilities, failing to adequately adapt to modern warfare involving drones, and vulnerabilities in the defensive systems of certain bases.
In the early stages of the conflict, multiple news organizations—including The New York Times—released damage assessment reports stating that 14 U.S. military or air defense facilities had been hit. By late April, NBC News reported that Iranian combat aircraft had attacked a U.S. military base in Kuwait—marking the first time in years that an enemy fighter jet targeted a U.S. military installation. Citing research data, the channel noted that Iran had launched strikes against 100 targets across 11 bases. Last week, CNN reported that 16 U.S. facilities had sustained damage. However, The Washington Post’s analysis of battlefield imagery up to April 14 showed that dozens of additional targets had been struck among the facilities primarily used by the U.S. military but also shared with host nation forces and allied partners. Analysis of satellite imagery by The Washington Post found that airstrikes had destroyed more than half of the barracks, hangars, warehouses, and other facilities across U.S. military bases in the region.
The U.S. Central Command declined to respond to questions regarding expert damage assessments. The attacks on U.S. military bases in the region have forced military strategists to consider new compromise solutions, such as relocating troops to safer areas while limiting their operational capacity, or maintaining current base status while accepting potential future casualties. A U.S. official stated that the Bahrain naval base suffered "significant" damage, with command headquarters relocated to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida—the location of U.S. Central Command. The official added that military personnel, contractors, and civilian employees are unlikely to return to the base in the near term. Two other U.S. military officials revealed that although no final decision has been made, the U.S. military may never again conduct large-scale deployments to bases in the Middle East.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864617427240064/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author