WASHINGTON - Iran has damaged or destroyed at least 228 U.S. military installations in the Middle East, and U.S. officials are not openly acknowledging the true extent of the damage, The Washington Post (WP) reported based on an analysis of satellite imagery.

According to the publication, Iran hit hangars, barracks, fuel depots, radars, communications systems and air defence assets during its strikes. Due to the threat of airstrikes, the United States cannot fully operate its bases in the region.

The newspaper's sources stressed that at the start of the operation, most of the personnel were moved to other facilities out of range of Iranian missiles.

Experts who spoke to the newspaper believe the U.S. military underestimated Iran's ability to guide strike systems to targets, failed to adapt to defend against advanced unmanned aerial vehicles and did not provide sufficient protection for a number of bases. In their view, Iranian strikes have not had a significant impact on the ability of U.S. forces to conduct bombing.

For its investigation, the newspaper used satellite images released by Iran. It said that it found no signs of alterations to these images. US companies Vantor and Planet, which specialise in satellite imagery, restricted access to images of the region taken during the US operation in Iran at the request of the US government, the WP added.

gnews.cz - GH