Hangars, ships, bridges and tunnels: this is what Iran and the US have bombed

An air war between Iran and the US has been raging in the Middle East for more than two weeks now. There are missile and drone attacks every day, but what is known about affected targets? "Iran appears to have a clearer strategy than the US, says former air force commander Patrick Bolder.

What is striking about the Iranian attacks is that Jordan has often been bombarded. Like the other countries under fire, the kingdom houses soldiers and equipment from the American army. Muwaffaq Salti air base in northern Jordan was hit twice in 48 hours at the end of last week.

Satellite images show at least one hangar at the airport destroyed. A hangar next to it has been damaged. The NOS has checked the location of these satellite images: At least two American soldiers were killed in the attack, the army has confirmed.

A missing soldier probably also died; remains have been found and are being examined. Dozens of soldiers were injured in the rocket attacks on Jordan and helicopters were damaged. The New York Times recently reported this based on anonymous officials.

The Pentagon is said to have withheld this information for strategic reasons. Agile missiles The US appears to have moved military equipment from the Gulf region to Jordan, which is further away from Iran. Iran is deploying extra fast and maneuverable missiles to get past air defenses, army sources tell The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

It is worrying for the US that Iran hits these types of sensitive military targets from a great distance, says Bolder. "It seems to be a combination of innovation by Iran and foreign aid. To hit something like that you need good intelligence.

Iran may receive help from Russia or China, writes WSJ. Satellite photos also show that in Kuwait there was a fire at the port of Al-Ahmadi. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) claims that the US Navy used this pier, but that claim has not been independently verified.

According to the Kuwaiti authorities, a desalination plant, where seawater is turned into drinking water, has been hit by Iran. Off-duty Colonel Peter Wijninga emphasizes that much remains unclear about these types of attacks. "Whether it was a mistake by Iran and there is an American base nearby, that doesn't tell the story.

All in all, there is still a lot of uncertainty about what has been affected. Middle East Correspondent Daisy Mohr: "It is often very difficult to verify exactly what is hit and what the exact damage is. This has everything to do with the locations where all this takes place.

These are places that are carefully shielded from the outside world in countries that are unwilling to reveal much about it. It's all extremely sensitive. You notice that citizens in these countries do not easily talk about it.

Everyone knows all too well that it is better to keep your mouth shut about these types of topics, otherwise you can get into big trouble. Journalists or organizations are also not welcome to take a look. Moreover, news about an attack does not come out or sometimes only comes out much later, with an official statement here and there.

Local media cannot report freely on everything. We should not underestimate all this in our attempt to get a complete picture. There is much we do not know with certainty and the propaganda machines are working overtime on all sides; Image damage is also a concern in many of these countries.

The recent escalation of violence began on July 6 with Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Since then, at least twelve ships have been damaged, according to UN figures. Iran has claimed responsibility for at least nine attacks, which injured 16 people and killed one civilian.

The fire was ignited by conflicting views of the agreements that Washington and Tehran had made regarding shipping in the strait. The shelling of ships has led to US bombings of hundreds of locations in Iran. Coastal towns in particular where the IRGC has army and navy bases have come under fire.

Missile launch facilities further inland were also attacked. But like Iran, the US has hit civilian infrastructure in addition to military targets. For example, tunnels, bridges and telecom installations have been bombed around the port city of Bandar Abbas.

"It is very normal in military campaigns to attack enemy bridges to prevent them from quickly moving or supplying troops, Wijninga explains. Bolder agrees with this, but he also acknowledges that it is sensitive. "It is always a discussion whether these are civilian targets or not, because the army also uses them.