An Associated Press analysis of satellite imagery has found that more than 115 drone or missile strikes claimed by Iran or Iranian-backed militias damaged or destroyed structures at 26 United States military bases and other sites in the Middle East through August 2026, causing billions of dollars in equipment damage.
The AP said it independently verified the damage using satellite imagery from multiple providers and spoke to four regional officials who were briefed on the attacks or had firsthand knowledge of what was hit. According to the analysis, Iran first targeted the systems meant to detect incoming strikes, including early-warning radars, before broadening its attacks to aircraft hangars, warehouses, troop housing and other facilities.
Most of the attacks were in Kuwait, the analysis found, while US sites in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were also hit. Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait was struck at least 30 times, damaging or destroying at least 15 aircraft hangars, numerous warehouses and 10 buildings near a residential area. The deadliest known strike on US troops in the conflict was a drone attack at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait on 1 March, in which six soldiers were killed.
Between 1 April and 30 June alone, Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures on US bases, the AP found, going beyond details in earlier independent reviews, including one from the Pentagon’s inspector general. Two regional officials told the AP the United States has moved many of its assets, including aircraft, air defence systems and communications equipment, out of the Persian Gulf.
US Central Command declined to comment on or specify damage to bases or equipment, citing operational security. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said US forces and bases are well protected and that service members in the region have everything they need.
The findings come as President Donald Trump considers new strikes after Tuesday’s midterm elections and Tehran has vowed major retaliation, raising questions about American defences in the region and whether the US will rebuild its bases and equipment there when the war ends.
The featured image is an illustrative stock photograph of military aircraft on a runway and is not a photograph of the strikes or bases described above.
Source: Associated Press (via The Times of Israel), 31 October 2026
