Iran appears to be finding ways through US air defences in the Middle East, after missile and drone strikes killed at least three American service members and reportedly injured nearly 100 others.
The attacks have raised concerns in Washington that Tehran may be increasingly capable of exploiting gaps in the shield protecting US forces – a trend that could intensify if Iran succeeds in degrading key radar and missile-defence systems.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it destroyed US radar and air-defence assets at a Kuwaiti airbase, claiming the strike would help open the way for further attacks.
The IRGC said early warning, missile defence and FPS-117 radar, as well as Patriot air-defence system and satellite communications equipment linked to US defences were hit in overnight strikes. Separately, Iran’s regular army said it had launched drone attacks on three US-linked sites in Kuwait, including Arifjan base, Al Udairi camp and Ahmad Al Jaber airbase.
The claims could not be independently verified. Kuwait’s military said its air defences had intercepted hostile missiles and drones following what it described as an Iranian attack.
If Iran’s account is accurate, the immediate concern for Washington will be whether Tehran has created vulnerabilities in the network protecting American bases across the region.
In a report last month, The Wall Street Journal said satellite images revealed extensive damage at the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain after Iranian strikes hit command centres, communications infrastructure and other critical buildings.
Dwindling stocks
The latest developments came as the US military carried out another round of strikes against Iranian military targets – the 10th consecutive night of operations it says are aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes targeted Iranian command centres, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and air-defence systems.
But the exchanges have revealed the difficulty Washington and its allies face in maintaining protection against repeated attacks across a wide area.
At least three US service members have been killed in Iranian-linked attacks in the past week, demonstrating Tehran’s missile and drone campaign has managed to penetrate American defences.
The Pentagon identified two soldiers killed in a missile strike on a US base in Jordan as First Lt Tyler Feehan, 25, and Pvt Isabella Gonzales, 19. Centcom also reported the unidentified remains of a third person were found at the same base. Another US service member was killed in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone.
Nearly 100 other US service members have been injured in Iranian attacks on bases in the Middle East this month, US officials told CBS News.
The attacks have raised concerns in Washington over how long the US can sustain its current pace of operations.
A US official told The Washington Post that plans for a wider conflict were being constrained by dwindling stocks of air-defence interceptors and long-range munitions, as well as limits on deploying additional forces and aircraft after battle damage.
“We do not have enough to safely sustain operations,” said the official, warning the White House may not be fully aware of the pressure on US military resources.
Analysts have suggested Iran may have deliberately used waves of less advanced weapons early in the conflict to force the US to expend valuable interceptors before Iran deployed more capable systems. If Tehran has damaged parts of the US defensive network while US stocks are under pressure, the balance of the conflict could become increasingly difficult for Washington to manage.
The extent of the damage to either side’s military capabilities remains unclear, however.
The conflict has also expanded beyond air attacks. Iranian state television aired footage it said showed a burning tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, while maritime authorities said a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile near Oman, forcing its crew to abandon ship. All crew members were safely evacuated.
Iranian media also reported US strikes on sites in Bushehr, Fars, Ilam, Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, while Iranian officials said air defences were activated near the Bushehr nuclear power plant after hostile activity was detected. They reported no damage to the complex.
