As the conflict escalates in Middle East, Iranian strikes over the weekend reportedly damaged communication structures and radar systems on at least seven US sites.
The structures that have been damaged included radars used to track incoming missiles, satellite dishes and radomes – waterproof covers that protect sensitive, long-distance communication equipment, according to a report by The New York Times.
These strikes reportedly took place in military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The attacks come after US-Israel struck Iran, leading to the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to the NYT report – that assessed the satellite imagery and verified videos – despite the difficulty to ascertain which exact systems were damaged, it appeared that Iran was targeting to disrupt the US military's ability to communicate and coordinate.
Additionally, it is also being reported that precision Iranian missile strikes also dismantled America’s layered missile defence network across West Asia, reshaping Gulf power balance and exposing vulnerabilities in US air and missile defence architecture.
In an official statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared that its Aerospace Force executed precision strikes that rendered the second THAAD battery “out of operational orbit,” while confirming the prior elimination of the associated radar at Al Ruwais base in the UAE, fundamentally degrading theatre-level ballistic missile interception capacity.
In Qatar, a tent surrounded by satellite dishes was destroyed in Al Udeid Air Base, the largest base in the Middle East, accommodating thousands of troops across a 6-mile wide area.
In Bahrain, the one-way attack drone struck down a randome in the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain. Images from the following day showed that at least one other randome was destroyed.
The two structures demolished were AN/GSC-52B SATCOM terminals, key for high-capacity and near real-time communication, the report added.
Several structures at a military installation outside Al Ruwais in the United Arab Emirates were destroyed. Satellite imagery showed tightly clustered buildings and tents within a compound were heavily damaged. The base was struck again in the same general area.
The IRGC announced that the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia was targeted with missiles and drones. Subsequent satellite images showed that the base was largely destroyed.
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