Iran struck back against the United States military harder and more destructively than Trump officials previously revealed, according to a report.
NBC News broke the news on Saturday that an Iranian F-5 fighter jet broke through U.S. air defenses and struck more than 100 targets, including 11 bases in Gulf states. Insiders told NBC News that the base suffered "extensive damage" that was "far worse than publicly acknowledged" and that the F-5 strike was "the first time an enemy fixed-wing aircraft has struck an American military base in years."
Trump has said that the U.S. had "all the cards" in the conflict, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that "there's almost nothing they can militarily do" in retaliation to U.S. strikes.
Republican lawmakers were reportedly upset that the extent of damage is greater than they were told. According to NBC News, an anonymous congressional aide said, “We have been asking for weeks and not getting specifics, even as the Pentagon is asking for a record high budget.”
The Pentagon has said that more than 400 U.S. service members have been injured, with thirteen killed. The conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute estimated that the Iranian strikes inflicted $5 billion in damages, as well.
The discovery comes as Trump canceled plans to send an envoy to negotiate an end to the conflict and the Strait of Hormuz blockade.
