Anonymous U.S. service members provided CBS News with photographs in mid‑September 2026 that reveal extensive damage to multiple American military installations across the Gulf region following Iranian missile and drone strikes.
The images arrive just days after the Pentagon’s Inspector General released a report detailing the first four months of the Iran war, raising concerns among Christians and other faith‑based readers about transparency, accountability, and the human cost of conflict.
One photo shows the devastation at Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia, where a $270 million E‑3 Sentry airborne early‑warning aircraft was destroyed and numerous hangars, fuel tanks and barracks were badly damaged. Another image depicts collapsed structures and charred vehicles at the base, confirming the severity of the attack.
Additional photographs from Camp Arifjan in Kuwait display shattered buildings, destroyed trailers and the remnants of armored vehicles. Similar damage has been reported from installations in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman and Jordan, indicating a widespread impact on U.S. forces throughout the region.
The Inspector General’s findings echo the visual evidence, stating that “hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases” were destroyed in the attacks and that U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE also suffered physical damage.
Service members quoted by CBS describe standing “with our eyes closed getting punched in the face,” and accuse the Pentagon and the Trump administration of attempting to conceal the true extent of the destruction from the American public. The leak, submitted under strict anonymity, underscores a growing frustration among troops who feel the nation’s leaders are minimizing the reality on the ground.
Officials have not yet responded to requests for comment, but the release of the photographs is expected to prompt further congressional oversight and could lead to a more open discussion about the war’s costs and the moral responsibility to keep the public informed.