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WASHINGTON — <\/span>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Iran’s strikes<\/a> on more than two dozen U.S. bases in the Middle East focused on early-warning systems before hitting aircraft and buildings, causing billions of dollars in equipment damage<\/a>, according to an Associated Press analysis.<\/p>\n The AP independently verified damage to American targets using satellite imagery from multiple providers and spoke to four regional officials who were briefed or have firsthand knowledge of what was hit. The AP found that, through August, more than 115 drone or missile strikes claimed by Iran<\/a> or Iranian-backed militias damaged or destroyed structures on 26 military bases and other sites with U.S. equipment.<\/p>\n The AP found that Iran initially focused its attacks on aircraft hangars and systems that detect incoming strikes<\/a>, clearing the way for further strikes on warehouses, troop housing and more. <\/p>\n The damage has significantly reshaped the American foothold in the Middle East, with two regional officials saying the U.S. has moved many of its assets out of the Persian Gulf. That includes aircraft, air defense systems, communications systems and other equipment crucial to base operations, one of those officials said.<\/p>\n The impact of the damage raises questions about American defenses in the region as President Donald Trump<\/a> considers new strikes<\/a> after Tuesday’s midterm elections<\/a> and Tehran has vowed major retaliation. A return to hostilities threatens additional costly damage to bases, which would heighten uncertainty about whether the United States will choose to rebuild its bases and equipment in the region when the war ends.<\/p>\n The AP’s analysis offers new insight into Iran’s strategy for its retaliation and what precisely has been damaged on U.S. bases during the eight-month war, going beyond the details that have been released in independent reviews, including from the Pentagon’s inspector general<\/a>. It found that from April 1 to June 30, Iranian strikes had damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures on U.S. bases.<\/p>\n Such assessments provide the only overall snapshot because the Trump administration and the U.S. military have provided few details about the toll of the conflict on people<\/a> and equipment, even putting measures in place to impede outside review, such as delays in the release of satellite images.<\/p>\n U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, has refused to comment on or specify damage to bases or equipment, usually citing the need for operational security. The command did not comment for this story.<\/p>\n Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell asserted that U.S. \u201cforces and bases are well protected and America\u2019s military is stronger than ever.”<\/p>\n “Our service members in CENTCOM have everything they need to continue their historic success ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon,\u201d Parnell said in a statement to the AP. <\/p>\n Most of the Iranian attacks have been in Kuwait, while U.S. sites in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also have been targeted, the analysis of satellite imagery shows. The deadliest known strike on U.S. troops<\/a> in the Iran war was in Kuwait, where six soldiers were killed<\/a> in a drone attack at Port Shuaiba<\/a> on March 1.<\/p>\n Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait was struck at least 30 times, damaging or destroying at least 15 aircraft hangars, numerous warehouses and 10 buildings near a residential area.<\/p>\n Camp Buehring, also in Kuwait, faced even heavier losses. While Iranian attacks made most of its hangars inoperable, gathering places for troops sustained much more damage because the base had limited aircraft. Its gym was destroyed in March and a store for troops to buy products on the base was hit in late July.<\/p>\n A strike also has severely damaged the garage and dining room there, according to the two regional officials. They and two others, who are regional military officials, spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details about the damage to bases.<\/p>\n While strikes were much heavier against Iran, American mat\u00e9riel losses were inevitable, said Raphael Cohen, director of the National Security Program at the RAND School of Public Policy. The way wars are fought today<\/a> makes all militaries \u201csusceptible to large-scale, cheap drone attacks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis should be a wake-up call for the United States,\u201d Cohen said.<\/p>\n Iran launched its response to the war with accurate attacks on systems meant to detect and thwart incoming strikes, then broadened its targets to buildings and equipment that made U.S. bases useful and habitable.<\/p>\n Iran destroyed enclosures protecting U.S. radar systems at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and Naval Support Activity Bahrain within the first two days of the war’s start in late February. Additionally, Iran hit portable radars at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.<\/p>\n Iran prioritized striking at the backbone of the U.S. air defense system, targeting key early-warning radars that are difficult and expensive to repair or replace, said N.R. Jenzen-Jones, director of the technical intelligence consulting firm Armament Research Services.<\/p>\n A radar was hit in Jordan and said to be destroyed. It was one of only 13<\/a> possessed by the Army globally, manufacturer Raytheon said. Budget documents show each costs about half a billion dollars.<\/p>\n