AI Summary
5 min readHow Damaged Are US Middle East Bases?
New images obtained by ABC News show US Air Force jets blown in half, buildings torn apart, and containerized housing units "completely shredded" at American bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The photographs, sent by active service members who asked not to be named, offer a rare look at damage from Iranian strikes that the Pentagon has largely downplayed since the war began more than six months ago.
The Hidden Toll on American Bases
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce reported that the images show an Air Force jet destroyed by Iranian fire on March 27th at Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia, along with extensive damage at a US Army base in Kuwait. The Pentagon has declined to respond to questions about these specific photographs. But just this week, the Pentagon's own watchdog acknowledged in a report that Iranian strikes have damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases, and that dozens of US aircraft were destroyed or damaged.
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What you'll learn
- 1 Main Outline
- 2 (00:00) **Episode Opening** - Host Mike Debuske introduces the episode and sets up the central mystery: the gap between the administration's "we're winning" message and new evidence of damage to US bases in the Middle East.
- 3 (02:22) **Leaked Images Reveal Extensive Base Damage** - ABC's Mary Bruce describes newly obtained photographs showing destroyed aircraft and shredded housing units at US bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
- 4 (03:30) **Pentagon Watchdog Acknowledges Broader Damage** - A recent watchdog report confirms hundreds of structures and dozens of aircraft have been destroyed or damaged at US bases.
- 5 (04:19) **Service Member Speaks Out About Secrecy** - An anonymous American service member tells ABC the public is unaware of the true extent of daily attacks on bases.
- 6 (05:01) **Uncertainty About War's End** - President Trump insists the war will end after the midterm elections but has offered no clear plan for how.
- 7 (08:37) **New Sanctions Package Heads to President's Desk** - Allie Pakoran explains the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Bill, which also extends Iran sanctions and grants new tariff authority.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Leaked images show extensive damage to military bases in the Middle East. Russia sanctions bill makes it out of the House. And Kennedy Center demolition speculation rises.
AP Photo/Stella Martany
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