An NBC News investigation has shed new light on the scale of damage inflicted by Iranian forces on U.S. military installations during the initial phase of the 2026 conflict. According to officials and analysts, the strikes went far beyond what was publicly disclosed at the time, affecting more than 100 targets in seven countries and resulting in repair costs potentially surpassing $5 billion.
Particularly notable was the reported bombing of Camp Buehring in Kuwait by an Iranian F-5 fighter jet. The aging aircraft, a variant of the 1960s-era Northrop design locally upgraded by Iran, reportedly penetrated layered air defenses to deliver its ordnance. This marks one of the rare instances in recent decades of a hostile fixed-wing aircraft successfully striking a defended U.S. base. Officials suggest the attack may have been facilitated by simultaneous missile and drone barrages that saturated defensive systems.
The American Enterprise Institute's assessment, along with input from U.S. officials and congressional aides, indicates that Iranian attacks targeted key infrastructure including hangars, warehouses, command centers, communication networks, and radar installations across bases in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, and Iraq. Among the most significant losses was a Boeing E-3G AWACS aircraft destroyed on the ground at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, as independently reported by specialist outlets. Several KC-135 tankers also sustained damage.
These revelations come as questions mount about the effectiveness of regional air defense architectures against a mix of low-tech and sophisticated threats. Iran has claimed the use of various combat aircraft, including F-4 Phantoms, in addition to its primary reliance on ballistic missiles and UAVs during Operation Epic Fury. Related incidents included Qatari fighters downing two Iranian Su-24 bombers near Al Udeid Air Base and a friendly-fire event in which Kuwaiti defenses mistakenly engaged U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles.
CENTCOM previously acknowledged Iranian aircraft activity during the opening salvos but provided limited details. The Department of Defense has yet to issue a comprehensive statement on the NBC findings. While the full extent of operational degradation remains classified, the loss of surveillance and refueling assets likely impacted coalition air operations in the critical early days.
The report underscores the vulnerability of forward-deployed forces to determined asymmetric tactics. With repairs expected to take years and cost billions, the episode may prompt reviews of base hardening, defense in depth, and intelligence on Iranian aerial capabilities. As the conflict evolves, these previously underreported strikes offer a sobering assessment of combat realities in the Persian Gulf.