Iranian retaliatory strikes have caused at least $5 billion in damage to US military bases in the Middle East in the first six months of the conflict, reports “The Wall Street Journal“. According to the publication's analysis, the damage includes at least 274 buildings and other facilities at 24 sites, the assessment was made using satellite images and conversations with American sources.
The Pentagon estimates the damage to the bases at a minimum of $5 billion, but according to “The Wall Street Journal“ the final amount could reach $15 billion. This includes costs for rebuilding destroyed buildings, repairing infrastructure and replacing damaged equipment. Some of the facilities may never be restored.
Damage to the bases is not included in the separate account for the military operations. As of October 16, the US operations against Iran had cost $47.1 billion, according to a Pentagon estimate provided to Congress. This amount includes spent ammunition, operational costs and lost or damaged military equipment, but does not include the restoration of US sites in the region.
Defeats in eight countries
Iranian missiles and drones have hit US sites in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan. Among the damaged facilities are barracks, warehouses, communications systems, radars, fuel facilities and air defense infrastructure.
An earlier analysis by „Washington Post“, also based on satellite imagery, found damage to at least 228 buildings or equipment at U.S. military sites. The Pentagon has not released a full public assessment of all the damage, and a spokesman said such assessments are complex and can be misleading without access to all the information.
Washington discusses the future of bases
U.S. officials are discussing with regional allies the possibility of them participating in financing the repair of some sites. In parallel, the Pentagon is assessing whether all the bases should be restored to their current form or the US military presence in the Persian Gulf should be changed.
“Decisions will have to be made as part of this“, a senior Pentagon official told the “Washington Post“, speaking about the damaged infrastructure and the future of the US facilities. Options for reducing or moving some of the forces out of range of Iranian missiles and drones are also being discussed.
Thus, the costs of the conflict are divided into two separate items: $47.1 billion for military operations until October 16 and another between $5 billion and $15 billion to restore the bases, with no final decision on which facilities will be repaired.
Sources: archive.ph, apnews.com, washingtonpost.com