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Iran’s retaliatory attacks on US military bases across West Asia inflicted far greater damage than publicly acknowledged, according to a report by NBC News published on April 26, raising fresh questions over the vulnerability of American forward deployments in the region.
Citing US officials, congressional aides and independent analysis, the report said Iranian missile and drone strikes since late February hit multiple installations in at least seven countries, damaging critical infrastructure, including command centres, aircraft hangars, radar systems and runways.
An assessment by the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute found that more than 100 targets across 11 US bases were struck, with total damage estimated at over $5 billion. The Pentagon has acknowledged 13 service members killed and nearly 400 injured, though the full extent of losses remains unclear.
Despite layered air defences, including Patriot missile batteries and advanced radar networks, the report highlights significant gaps. In one of the most striking incidents, an ageing Iranian F-5 fighter jet penetrated US defences and dropped unguided bombs on Camp Buehring in Kuwait.
“The fact that an ageing Iranian F-5 could exploit that gap raises serious doctrinal questions,” defence analysts cited in the report noted, pointing to limitations in radar coverage and response times against low-altitude threats.
The episode also challenges earlier assertions by Donald Trump, who had claimed Iran’s air force had been “completely obliterated.” US officials told NBC that the strike marked the first time in years that an enemy fixed-wing aircraft successfully hit an American base.
The findings come amid growing frustration in Washington over the Pentagon’s lack of transparency.
“No one knows anything. And it’s not for lack of asking,” a congressional aide was quoted as saying. “We have been asking for weeks and not getting specifics, even as the Pentagon is asking for a record high budget.”
US Central Command declined to comment on detailed battle damage assessments, the report said, even as lawmakers privately pressed for clarity on repair costs and operational readiness.
The scale of the damage is also likely to revive debate within US policy circles about the risks of maintaining large, exposed bases close to Iran. Analysts say the Iranian campaign, combining missile barrages, drone swarms and limited manned aircraft strikes, stretched US defences across multiple layers and exposed weaknesses in base protection and logistics.
Earlier incidents cited in the report include a strike on a tactical operations centre near Kuwait’s Port of Shuaiba that killed six US personnel, and attacks that forced the evacuation of around 1,500 sailors from a naval facility in Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
The hostilities followed US and Israeli operations against Iran beginning in February, prompting Tehran to warn regional states against allowing their territory to be used for attacks. A ceasefire has since halted the strikes, though Iranian officials have indicated they could resume attacks if hostilities restart.
With repair costs expected to run into the billions and operational vulnerabilities now exposed, the report underscores a broader strategic dilemma for Washington – how to sustain its military footprint in West Asia under increasingly contested conditions.
Team BharatShakti
