Iranian Strikes Cause Billions in Damage to U.S. Intelligence Facilities – NBC
Iranian missile and drone strikes have caused billions of dollars in damage to U.S. intelligence facilities and surveillance systems across the Middle East, an unprecedented level of destruction for American intelligence agencies, NBC News reports, citing four people familiar with the matter.
The damage is prompting Congress to seek repair funding as U.S. officials reconsider how intelligence personnel and critical equipment should be positioned in a region increasingly exposed to Iran’s missile and drone capabilities.
In March, Iranian drones struck a CIA station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while an American intelligence facility in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province was hit early in the war. Other sensitive facilities and surveillance systems, including radar jointly operated by the military and intelligence agencies, were also damaged.
The sources cited in the report did not provide a specific figure but said the losses total billions of dollars and are unprecedented for the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies. Since 1947, when the CIA was created in, it has not been publicly known to have endured repeated aerial attacks on this scale.
Iran has launched more than 2,000 missile, drone and air strikes, hitting at least 20 U.S. government facilities in eight countries. By May, more than 42 U.S. military aircraft had been damaged or destroyed. Russia and China supplied Iran with satellite imagery, while Russia also reportedly provided electronic intelligence used to help target U.S. forces.
U.S. air defenses stopped most incoming attacks, but numerous drones got through, causing significant damage and raising questions about whether the Pentagon, intelligence community and State Department were sufficiently prepared.
