US service members leak photos showing extensive damage to Gulf bases after Iranian strikes
In mid‑September 2026, anonymous U.S. service members supplied CBS News with photographs that document extensive damage to multiple U.S. military installations across the Gulf region following Iranian missile and drone attacks.
The leak arrived two days after the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General released its first‑four‑months report on the Iran war, which said “hundreds” of buildings and structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan had been destroyed.
Images from Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia show collapsed aircraft shelters, charred vehicles and the wreckage of a $270 million E‑3 Sentry radar plane that was destroyed in a March strike. Photos from Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring in Kuwait depict shattered barracks, overturned trailers and gutted command buildings.
One service member, speaking on condition of anonymity, told CBS News, “This is major damage to our bases that hasn’t been communicated to the American public.” A second source added, “We’re standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”
The leak also includes evidence that U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates suffered physical damage during the same attacks. The Pentagon has acknowledged these hits but has not released detailed assessments.
According to the Inspector General’s findings, equipment losses total roughly $3.7 billion and the broader financial impact of the first four months of the conflict exceeds $33 billion. These figures underscore the strategic and fiscal stakes of the ongoing retaliation.
Critics argue the timing of the photo release points to a possible cover‑up by the Pentagon and the Trump administration, which have reportedly sought to limit public discussion of the damage while maintaining operational security.
U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and officials have not indicated whether further investigations or disclosures are planned.