Images highlight extent of damage to US military sites after Iranian strikes
Photographs obtained by CBS News show damaged aircraft, buildings and other structures in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, while a Pentagon watchdog reports widespread losses across US bases.
Undated photographs obtained by CBS News show extensive damage at US military sites in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, including a destroyed E-3 Sentry aircraft, flattened trailers and damaged buildings. The images were provided by active military personnel and reportedly came from Prince Sultan Air Force Base and Camps Buehring and Arifjan.
The BBC said it had not independently verified the photographs, and it remains unclear whether all the damage shown was caused by the same attack. BBC Verify previously confirmed a similar image of the destroyed E-3 aircraft in March.
A Pentagon watchdog report separately found that Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases across the Middle East. It reported $3.7 billion in equipment losses, including dozens of aircraft and five refuelling aircraft damaged or destroyed on the ground in Saudi Arabia.
The report said US war costs had reached $33.4 billion by 29 June. A Congressional Budget Office assessment said the E-3 is no longer in production and would need to be replaced by a modern equivalent, such as the E-7. It estimated the cost of an E-3 at $500 million, while warning that its broader equipment-loss assessment was subject to uncertainty because the Defence Department did not provide requested information.
The extent of planned repairs and rebuilding remains unclear. The conflict began on 28 February, when the US and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran, after which Iran attacked US bases, Gulf allies and Israel.
