Iran has responded to the US-Israeli assault on the country by launching drones and missiles at American targets across West Asia, hitting embassies, killing US soldiers, and damaging military bases and air defence infrastructure.
The New York Times has identified at least 17 damaged US sites and other installations, several of which have been struck more than once since the war began. Our analysis is based on high-resolution, commercial satellite imagery, verified social media videos and statements by US officials and Iranian state media.
The intensity of the retaliatory strikes has signalled that Iran was more prepared for the war than many in the Trump administration had anticipated, US military
officials say.
Military bases
Iran has fired thousands of missiles and drones at both US and allied country military sites across the region. The US and its allies have intercepted most of them, US officials say, but at least 11 American military bases or installations have been damaged — nearly half of all such sites in the region.
On February 28, the first day of conflict, Iran targeted several US military facilities, including Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia; Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Buehring Base in Kuwait; and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US base in West Asia.
Satellite images show extensive damage to buildings and communication infrastructure at several locations.
It is difficult to estimate the full cost of damage inflicted by Iran’s retaliatory strikes. A Pentagon assessment provided to Congress last week put the cost of the single strike on the US Navy Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain on February 28 at about $200 million, according to a congressional official.
The pace of Iranian attacks has slowed since the war’s opening days, but the strikes have continued. Al Udeid Air Base, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Al Dhafra Air Base, Camp Buehring and the Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters have all been struck more than once.
Infrastructure
Among the costliest American losses to infrastructure have been to the air defence systems that protect US and allied interests across West Asia.
Iran has systematically targeted radar and communications systems, including components of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, known as THAAD, which uses a radar to track and intercept incoming aerial threats throughout the region.
Diplomatic offices
Iran has also struck non-military US targets such as the consulate in Dubai, and embassies in Kuwait City, Kuwait, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, forcing temporary closures. There have been no reported injuries in any of these attacks.
On Saturday night, the US embassy in Baghdad was targeted in a rocket attack. No casualties were reported. It was not immediately clear who was behind it and how much damage was caused. It is not included in The Times’s tally of damaged sites.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of the US Central Command, said on March 7 that Iranian ballistic missile attacks had dropped 90 per cent since the first day of the conflict and drone attacks by 83 percent. Despite the declining pace, Iran has continued to strike American targets across the region.
New York Times News Service