NEW EQUATION IN WEST ASIA
U.S. Loses the Sky, the Bases and the Distance
TEHRAN — The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced Wednesday it had intercepted and destroyed its 52nd American MQ-9 Reaper drone since the U.S.-Israeli terrorist war began, as a senior Iranian commander revealed that missile strikes have inflicted serious damage on U.S. warships and forced American naval forces to retreat hundreds of kilometers from Iranian waters.
The IRGC’s Public Relations Office said the drone was shot down at 2:29 a.m. local time over Qeshm Island by an advanced air defense system operating within Iran’s integrated air defense network on Wednesday.
“During the Third Imposed War, hundreds of hostile
drones have been shot down by the country’s air defense forces,” the IRGC said, noting that Lucas, Hermes, MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones are among them.
The IRGC Aerospace Force also intercepted and destroyed an MQ-1 Predator over the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, hours after announcing another MQ-1 downing over the strategic waterway, bringing the total number of MQ-1s destroyed to three.
Days earlier, the IRGC announced the destruction of a U.S. military unmanned surface vessel at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, describing the operation as “a precise, intelligent and timely action” in defense of Iran’s territorial integrity.
The sustained attrition has significantly depleted the Pentagon’s Reaper inventory. Bloomberg reported that Iran has eliminated more than two dozen MQ-9s since the war began in late February, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the pre-war fleet.
Congressional testimony cited by Bloomberg indicates the Air Force’s operational MQ-9 fleet has fallen to approximately 135 aircraft, well below its established minimum threshold of 189.
General Atomics, the San Diego-based manufacturer, has confirmed that fewer than 10 new airframes remain available for acquisition, and the MQ-9A production line has ceased operations.
The Washington Post reported in August, citing three U.S. officials, that at least 45 Reapers had been lost since the conflict began — roughly 25 percent of the fleet — with some crashing after operators lost communications links.
Newly revealed photographs show extensive damage to buildings, vehicles, and military equipment at multiple U.S. positions across West Asia following Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes, according to a report.
The photographs, obtained exclusively by CBS News, were provided by unnamed U.S. forces, who cited strict military restrictions on communicating with the media.
One of the photographs, taken at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, shows a direct hit on the rear section of a Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft. The aircraft’s tail was severed from its charred fuselage, which carries a rotating radar system used for airborne intelligence gathering.
Other images from the Saudi base show heavily damaged buildings and barracks, with their structures left standing alongside cement T-walls that had been considered important defensive barriers against grenade and mortar attacks.
Similar damage was documented at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a major staging area for U.S. Army ground forces, armored vehicles and some aircraft. Photos from the camp show destroyed trailers, damaged buildings and a vehicle that was reportedly hit during the U.S.-Israeli war of aggression on Iran.
A U.S. troop told CBS News that the scale of the damage has not been adequately communicated to the American public.
“This is major damage to our bases that hasn’t been communicated to the American public,” the troop said. “We’re standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”
The photographs come after a new report by the Pentagon’s inspector general disclosed up to $3.7 billion in U.S. equipment losses during the war, including nearly 60 aircraft.
The report, submitted to Congress, also said U.S. Central Command had reported Iranian strikes against American positions in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan.
The unnamed troop also disputed the Pentagon’s characterization of Iranian strikes as isolated projectiles getting through U.S. defenses.
“These are not ‘squirters’ getting through,” the service member said, referring to language used by War Secretary Pete Hegseth following the March 1 attack on the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait, which killed six U.S. troops. “We’re not defending these bases. We’re just watching them get destroyed.”
Earlier in the week, another report acknowledged the depletion of key U.S. munition stockpiles during the war, while noting that earlier attacks have destroyed critical military assets, including missile-defense radar installations.
It also revealed that Iran’s retaliatory attacks caused approximately $184 million in damage to U.S. diplomatic facilities in West Asia.
More than 600 attacks were reported against U.S. facilities in Iraq, according to a senior State Department official cited in the report. The attacks caused approximately $157 million in damage, making Iraq the most costly site in terms of diplomatic losses.
Brigadier General Kioumars Heyderi, deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said Wednesday that Iran’s forces have inflicted serious damage on U.S. warships during recent attacks, stressing that the Islamic Republic emerged victorious by preventing the enemy from achieving its objectives.
Speaking at a meeting of the Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense and Resistance Values, Heyderi said Iranian Armed Forces are now directing the course of the war and have forced the enemy into a reactive position.
“Today, there is no doubt that our armed forces are victorious on the battlefield,” he said, explaining that if a defender prevents an attacker from reaching its objectives at a predetermined time and place, the defender is victorious.
“The enemy that dreamed of overthrowing the system is now acting passively on the battlefield. In other words, if it carries out any action, it is in response to our actions.”
Heyderi added that Iran’s capabilities have demonstrated the vulnerability of U.S. naval power.
“The peak of American military capability is its navy and its warships. Throughout history, from World War II until today, no power had been able to challenge a U.S. warship or its naval power. But by God’s grace and with the help of Imam Mahdi, a few nights ago we witnessed our missiles target and attack their heavy warships and frigates and inflict serious damage on them,” he said.
The senior commander said Iran’s attacks have compelled the United States to move its forces at least 500 kilometers away from Iran. IRGC spokesman General Hussein Mohebbi stated earlier this month that all U.S. warships have withdrawn at least 400 kilometers from the Iranian coast, and that Iran had struck a U.S. aircraft carrier from a distance of 500 kilometers.
Heyderi noted that Iran is confronting the United States despite the fact that many countries are afraid of Washington and reluctant even to mention its name. “The United States is backed by the Zionist regime and some regional countries, yet we achieved success under these circumstances,” he said.
Heyderi highlighted Iran’s reliance on domestic capabilities, saying the country’s armed forces are operating at the forefront of technology while relying primarily on indigenous capacities. “If we had not relied on our domestic capabilities, our stockpiles and reserves could not have met the demands,” he said.
He said Iran has responded to every “brazen move” by the enemy with large-scale missile strikes, adding that the country’s military capabilities have surprised the enemies.
“Today, in response to every brazen move by the enemy, we are raining a barrage of missiles across the region and have surprised the enemy. The power of our armed forces is truly remarkable,” he said.
Referring to Iran’s military capabilities against the United States, Heyderi said U.S. forces in the region face two choices if the war continues.
“If the Americans continue the war, large numbers of their forces, just as some have already met their fate, will return to their country on the decks of those same warships, while many others, God willing, will sink to the bottom of the region’s waters,” he said.
He said Iran’s calibrated measures will further increase the distance between the two sides and will ultimately enable the country to present a final victory to its people.
The IRGC Aerospace Force also intercepted and destroyed an MQ-1 Predator over the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, hours after announcing another MQ-1 downing over the strategic waterway, bringing the total number of MQ-1s destroyed to three.
Days earlier, the IRGC announced the destruction of a U.S. military unmanned surface vessel at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, describing the operation as “a precise, intelligent and timely action” in defense of Iran’s territorial integrity.
The sustained attrition has significantly depleted the Pentagon’s Reaper inventory. Bloomberg reported that Iran has eliminated more than two dozen MQ-9s since the war began in late February, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the pre-war fleet.
Congressional testimony cited by Bloomberg indicates the Air Force’s operational MQ-9 fleet has fallen to approximately 135 aircraft, well below its established minimum threshold of 189.
General Atomics, the San Diego-based manufacturer, has confirmed that fewer than 10 new airframes remain available for acquisition, and the MQ-9A production line has ceased operations.
The Washington Post reported in August, citing three U.S. officials, that at least 45 Reapers had been lost since the conflict began — roughly 25 percent of the fleet — with some crashing after operators lost communications links.
Newly revealed photographs show extensive damage to buildings, vehicles, and military equipment at multiple U.S. positions across West Asia following Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes, according to a report.
The photographs, obtained exclusively by CBS News, were provided by unnamed U.S. forces, who cited strict military restrictions on communicating with the media.
One of the photographs, taken at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, shows a direct hit on the rear section of a Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft. The aircraft’s tail was severed from its charred fuselage, which carries a rotating radar system used for airborne intelligence gathering.
Other images from the Saudi base show heavily damaged buildings and barracks, with their structures left standing alongside cement T-walls that had been considered important defensive barriers against grenade and mortar attacks.
Similar damage was documented at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a major staging area for U.S. Army ground forces, armored vehicles and some aircraft. Photos from the camp show destroyed trailers, damaged buildings and a vehicle that was reportedly hit during the U.S.-Israeli war of aggression on Iran.
A U.S. troop told CBS News that the scale of the damage has not been adequately communicated to the American public.
“This is major damage to our bases that hasn’t been communicated to the American public,” the troop said. “We’re standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”
The photographs come after a new report by the Pentagon’s inspector general disclosed up to $3.7 billion in U.S. equipment losses during the war, including nearly 60 aircraft.
The report, submitted to Congress, also said U.S. Central Command had reported Iranian strikes against American positions in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan.
The unnamed troop also disputed the Pentagon’s characterization of Iranian strikes as isolated projectiles getting through U.S. defenses.
“These are not ‘squirters’ getting through,” the service member said, referring to language used by War Secretary Pete Hegseth following the March 1 attack on the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait, which killed six U.S. troops. “We’re not defending these bases. We’re just watching them get destroyed.”
Earlier in the week, another report acknowledged the depletion of key U.S. munition stockpiles during the war, while noting that earlier attacks have destroyed critical military assets, including missile-defense radar installations.
It also revealed that Iran’s retaliatory attacks caused approximately $184 million in damage to U.S. diplomatic facilities in West Asia.
More than 600 attacks were reported against U.S. facilities in Iraq, according to a senior State Department official cited in the report. The attacks caused approximately $157 million in damage, making Iraq the most costly site in terms of diplomatic losses.
Brigadier General Kioumars Heyderi, deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said Wednesday that Iran’s forces have inflicted serious damage on U.S. warships during recent attacks, stressing that the Islamic Republic emerged victorious by preventing the enemy from achieving its objectives.
Speaking at a meeting of the Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense and Resistance Values, Heyderi said Iranian Armed Forces are now directing the course of the war and have forced the enemy into a reactive position.
“Today, there is no doubt that our armed forces are victorious on the battlefield,” he said, explaining that if a defender prevents an attacker from reaching its objectives at a predetermined time and place, the defender is victorious.
“The enemy that dreamed of overthrowing the system is now acting passively on the battlefield. In other words, if it carries out any action, it is in response to our actions.”
Heyderi added that Iran’s capabilities have demonstrated the vulnerability of U.S. naval power.
“The peak of American military capability is its navy and its warships. Throughout history, from World War II until today, no power had been able to challenge a U.S. warship or its naval power. But by God’s grace and with the help of Imam Mahdi, a few nights ago we witnessed our missiles target and attack their heavy warships and frigates and inflict serious damage on them,” he said.
The senior commander said Iran’s attacks have compelled the United States to move its forces at least 500 kilometers away from Iran. IRGC spokesman General Hussein Mohebbi stated earlier this month that all U.S. warships have withdrawn at least 400 kilometers from the Iranian coast, and that Iran had struck a U.S. aircraft carrier from a distance of 500 kilometers.
Heyderi noted that Iran is confronting the United States despite the fact that many countries are afraid of Washington and reluctant even to mention its name. “The United States is backed by the Zionist regime and some regional countries, yet we achieved success under these circumstances,” he said.
Heyderi highlighted Iran’s reliance on domestic capabilities, saying the country’s armed forces are operating at the forefront of technology while relying primarily on indigenous capacities. “If we had not relied on our domestic capabilities, our stockpiles and reserves could not have met the demands,” he said.
He said Iran has responded to every “brazen move” by the enemy with large-scale missile strikes, adding that the country’s military capabilities have surprised the enemies.
“Today, in response to every brazen move by the enemy, we are raining a barrage of missiles across the region and have surprised the enemy. The power of our armed forces is truly remarkable,” he said.
Referring to Iran’s military capabilities against the United States, Heyderi said U.S. forces in the region face two choices if the war continues.
“If the Americans continue the war, large numbers of their forces, just as some have already met their fate, will return to their country on the decks of those same warships, while many others, God willing, will sink to the bottom of the region’s waters,” he said.
He said Iran’s calibrated measures will further increase the distance between the two sides and will ultimately enable the country to present a final victory to its people.