ABNA24 - A new investigation by CNN has found that a significant portion of the United States’ military installations across West Asia sustained damage following retaliatory strikes by Iran and its allies, raising concerns in Washington over the resilience of its regional infrastructure and its ability to support “Israel.”
According to the probe, whose findings were reported on Friday, at least 16 US military sites across eight countries in the region were targeted.
In several cases, the damage was described as severe enough to render the affected facilities “virtually inoperable.”
The findings indicated that the impacted sites account for most US military positions in the region, a congressional aide familiar with the assessments told CNN.
The investigation drew on dozens of satellite images, along with interviews conducted with sources in the United States and the Persian Gulf’s littoral Arab states.
Officials cited in the report offered differing assessments regarding the extent of the destruction.
“There has been a spectrum of assessments,” one source said. “From a pretty dramatic side, of the whole facility is destroyed and needs to be shut down, to leaders who say these things are worth repairing due to the strategic benefit they give the US.”
Another US source familiar with the matter said, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Satellite imagery reviewed by CNN indicated that the strikes focused on high-value military assets, including radar systems, communications infrastructure, and aircraft.
“It’s notable they really identified those facilities as the most cost-effective targets to hit,” the congressional aide said. “Our radar systems [are] our most expensive and our most limited resources in the region.”
Many of these systems are described as costly and difficult to replace.
The financial consequences of Iran’s retaliation have also drawn attention. The US Department of War’s comptroller, Jules Hurst III, told lawmakers that the war has cost the United States $25 billion so far.
However, another source familiar with internal discussions said estimates place the total significantly higher, ranging between $40 billion and $50 billion.
The developments have also caused concern among Washington’s regional partners.
“The war showed us that the alliance with the US cannot be exclusive and it is not impregnable,” a Saudi source told CNN.
Iran’s reprisal began on February 28, shortly after what it described as a new round of unprovoked aggression by the United States and “Israel” targeting the Islamic Republic.
In at least 100 waves of retaliatory strikes, Iran’s Armed Forces delivered blows to strategic American assets across a wide stretch of the region, including in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Jordan.
Similar assets belonging to “Israel” were also targeted across the occupied territories.
Regional resistance movements, including groups based in Lebanon and Yemen, were also reported to have cooperated with Iranian forces in carrying out some of the strikes.
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