The Iranian strikes over the weekend and on Monday, 2nd March, damaged important structures related to communication and radar systems at several U.S. military bases across the Middle East region. Based on satellite images and verified videos by The New York Times, using imagery from Planet Labs, shows that at least seven American military sites were affected across Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran has struck at least 11 U.S. military facilities since Saturday. @heytherehaley @riley_mellen and I found damage on or near communications and radar systems at 7 of them (no paywall link here) https://t.co/mADFCqvcGZ
— Devon Lum (@devonjlum) March 4, 2026
The visuals indicate damage to equipment used for tracking incoming ballistic missiles, satellite communication dishes, and radomes, the dome-shaped covers that protect sensitive communication and radar systems. Because much of the U.S. military’s communication network is highly classified, it is difficult to determine exactly which systems were impacted. The pattern of the strikes suggests that Iran aimed to disrupt the U.S. military’s ability to communicate and coordinate operations across the region.
Bahrain: Fifth fleet headquarters hit
In Bahrain, a video verified by The New York Times showed an Iranian one-way attack drone striking a radome on Saturday at the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama. This base is the main hub for coordinating U.S. naval operations across the Middle East.
Satellite images taken the following day showed that at least one more radome at the site had been destroyed. The two structures that were demolished were identified as AN/GSC-52B SATCOM terminals, which are used to support high-capacity and near real-time communication for U.S. military forces.
Qatar: Damage at Al Udeid Air base
Satellite imagery taken Sunday afternoon showed destruction at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. Images revealed that a tent surrounded by several satellite dishes had been destroyed and some of the dishes likely damaged.
The base houses thousands of American troops and serves as the regional headquarters for United States Central Command. Iran had also targeted the same base last June, when a ballistic missile struck a radome used for military communications during the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict.
Kuwait: Multiple structures destroyed
In Kuwait, satellite images from Sunday, 1st March morning showed at least three radomes damaged or destroyed at Camp Arifjan, a major U.S. military logistics base.
About 50 miles away, Ali Al Salem Air Base also suffered damage. Imagery indicated that at least six buildings or structures located next to satellite communication equipment had been damaged or destroyed. Follow-up satellite images taken Tuesday showed the same area being hit again, with two additional buildings near the satellite infrastructure heavily damaged.
Saudi Arabia: Strike near the communication section
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said on Saturday night that Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia had been targeted using missiles and drones.
Satellite images taken the next morning showed a mile-long plume of smoke rising from a building connected to the base. Another image captured on Tuesday, 3rd March, showed the structure almost destroyed. The damaged building sits inside a fenced-off compound roughly six miles east of the main base and close to a radome, indicating that the strike may have focused on a communication section of the facility.
United Arab Emirates: Radar and base infrastructure damaged
Low-resolution satellite images from Sunday also showed damage at a military installation near Al Ruwais in the United Arab Emirates. Several structures were hit near where an AN/TPY-2 radar system had been stationed since last year. The radar is used to detect and track ballistic missiles and plays a key role in coordinating missile interception. It remains unclear whether the radar itself was damaged.
At Al Dhafra Air Base, more than 100 miles east, satellite imagery showed heavy damage to tightly packed buildings and tents within a compound roughly the size of a football field. Earlier images from past years showed satellite dishes and antennas in that area, though it is unclear if they were still present during the strikes. The same area of the base was struck again on Monday.
Other sites also report damage
Earlier reporting by The New York Times indicated that additional American military facilities in Dubai, Iraq and Kuwait were also damaged during the weekend strikes. Newly captured satellite imagery also shows damage at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
However, the structures damaged at those locations do not appear to be directly connected to radar or communication systems.
A press officer for the United States Central Command declined to comment on the strikes.
