Iran has damaged 20 US military bases since the start of the war, satellite images and videos analysed by the BBC show, suggesting the attacks are more widespread than has been publicly acknowledged. Iran has been attacking key facilities in eight Middle Eastern countries since late February, causing millions of dollars in damage to state-of-the-art air defence systems, refuelling aircraft and radars.
Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, said last week that the Middle East is no longer a safe place for American bases.
Although the White House has repeatedly claimed that the Iranian military has been almost completely destroyed, analysts say the damage seen at American facilities suggests that Tehran's retaliatory strikes were more precise and extensive than has been acknowledged.
Satellite images show damage to facilities located in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain and Oman. Some analysts estimate the number of bases affected is as high as 28.
Among the valuable equipment damaged are three state-of-the-art anti-ballistic missile systems at air bases in the UAE and Jordan. The United States is known to have only eight THAAD systems, which are deployed at bases around the world and cost about $1 billion each. Each system requires a crew of about 100 soldiers, while the interceptors it fires cost about $12,7 million per missile.
The Iranian attacks also hit U.S. refueling and surveillance aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, expert analysis of satellite imagery shows. One aircraft was identified as an E-3 Sentry, which costs about $700 million.
It is difficult to estimate the extent of the damage caused to American facilities, but the Pentagon estimated in May that Operation Epic Fury had cost $29 billion so far. The report also found that at least 42 aircraft had been destroyed or damaged, including F-15 and F-35 fighter jets, 24 drones and one A-10 attack aircraft.
