Recently surfaced satellite photos have created a huge stir in the Gulf countries. New reports and pictures released on March 4 have made it clear that Iran has targeted many important radars and defense systems of America and its allies. These attacks took place on American bases located in Qatar, UAE, Bahrain and Jordan. Analysts believe that there has been a loss of about 2 billion dollars (about Rs 16 thousand crore) in these attacks and this may have an impact on the security system of the Gulf region.
In which countries were American bases damaged?
According to satellite imagery and official reports, these specific places were targeted under Iran’s ‘Operation True Promise 4’. This retaliatory action was taken after America’s ‘Operation Epic Fury’. In the information given below, you can see which systems of the US Army have been damaged in which country.
Country (Location) Damaged Assets (Value)
Qatar
1 AN/FPS-132 Early Warning Radar (Al Udeid) $1.1 Billion
UAE
1 AN/TPY-2 THAAD Radar (Al Ruwais) ~$500 Million
Jordan
1 AN/TPY-2 THAAD Radar (Muwaffaq Salti Million Air Base) ~$500
Bahrain
2 AN/GSC-52B SATCOM Terminals ~$20 Million
Kuwait
3 radomes and 8 communication buildings (Arifjan & Ali al-Salem) not decided
What effect did it have on common people and air travel?
The direct impact of this military tension has been seen on common life and air travel. Flights were stopped at major airports like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, causing immense inconvenience to passengers. If you live in Gulf countries or are planning to go there from India, then you should be prepared for delays in flights.
Defense experts say that the ‘defense shield’ has weakened due to the destruction of these radar systems. This means that in the future, the time to get warning of any missile attack may be reduced. This is a concern for the safety of expatriates and citizens living in the area.
What is the current situation after the attack?
Qatari officials confirmed that the Al-Udeid base was attacked, although many of the missiles were destroyed in the air. Debris and fire extinguishing marks are clearly visible on the roof of Qatar’s radar in satellite images. Experts believe that Iran deliberately targeted those systems which are considered the ‘eyes and ears’ of the US military, so that their communication network could be broken. At present, the US and local governments are making a complete assessment of the damage.