Over the last few weeks, there has been a series of reports exposing that Iran has caused far more damage to U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf region than the Pentagon has admitted to. The most recent such analysis came out yesterday in The Washington Post. “Iranian airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at U.S. military sites across the Middle East since the war began, hitting hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft and key radar, communications and air defense equipment, according to a Washington Post analysis of satellite imagery,” the Post reports at the outset. “The amount of destruction is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government or previously reported.”
The Post analyzed satellite imagery published on Iranian social media, since the availability of U.S.-source imagery showing war damage has been restrained by the Pentagon. It then compared this to European Union satellite data, to draw its conclusion. Importantly, “No Iranian imagery was found to have been manipulated,” the authors found.
“Experts who reviewed The Post’s analysis said the damage at the sites suggested that the U.S. military had underestimated Iran’s targeting abilities, not adapted sufficiently to modern drone warfare and left some bases under-protected,” the Post notes.
