PNN – The Wall Street Journal revealed the extensive destruction of the US naval base in Bahrain and added that the US may be moving some of its bases to the West.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the American newspaper “Wall Street Journal” revealed in an analysis citing satellite images, social media videos and interviews with American military personnel that Iranian missile and drone attacks that bypassed US air defenses have caused serious damage to the US naval base in Bahrain.
The newspaper, stating that the damage has not yet been publicly confirmed by the US Department of War (Pentagon), added that the command headquarters and at least 12 other buildings, along with two satellite communications stations at the base, were severely damaged.
Rethinking US troop deployment in the region
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials familiar with the matter, that extensive damage to the only US naval base in the Middle East, along with attacks targeting at least 20 US bases across the region, including military and diplomatic facilities, has forced the US to reassess its presence in the region.
The US military is currently considering options to rebuild the base in Bahrain, potentially reduce its presence in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and also move some bases or their functions to the West to be out of reach of Iranian missiles and drones, the officials said.
The sources said the US military may take new measures regarding its damaged bases in the Middle East, including refusing to rebuild US facilities hit by Iranian attacks, moving command and control centers underground and expanding the deployment of military capabilities across the region.
The newspaper reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump in April pressured satellite imagery providers to limit access to images showing the extent of damage at US bases and other areas targeted in the war. This has made it difficult to form a complete and clear picture of the extent of US losses in the attacks.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon is refusing to explicitly disclose the cost of American losses from the war with Iran, which has angered lawmakers in Congress.
The Wall Street Journal has independently estimated the cost of building similar buildings at today’s prices, using satellite imagery and videos posted on social media platforms to identify damaged buildings at the Bahrain base. The newspaper’s analysis suggests that the cost of building the NSA base in Bahrain was about $400 million. However, these estimates are limited to construction costs only and do not take into account additional costs that may arise from the operation, such as debris removal and structural reinforcement.