Arabic version: القواعد الأمريكية في الخارج تواجه مخاطر أمنية متصاعدة
According to Al Jazeera, US military bases in Britain, the Gulf and elsewhere are facing renewed scrutiny after attacks and alleged threats linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran. Analysts say facilities once seen as security guarantees for host countries are increasingly viewed as potential targets.
RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire has long supported US operations, including during the 1991 Gulf War, the 2003 Iraq war and the early stages of the Iran war. In October, the United States withdrew all 12 B-1 Lancer bombers from the base following concerns about an Iranian threat. Britain accused Iran of being behind an alleged plot to target Fairford, an accusation Tehran denied. The US also withdrew a dozen planes from RAF Mildenhall earlier this month.
In the Gulf, Iran cited the presence of US bases when targeting Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. A Pentagon watchdog report released in September found that Iranian attacks damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US installations in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan during the war’s first four months.
Damage included strikes on aviation, communications, radar, maintenance and refuelling facilities. In Kuwait, an attack on the Port of Shuaiba killed six US service members and destroyed an army operations centre. In Qatar, an Iranian strike damaged the early-warning radar system at Al Udeid airbase, while a drone struck communications equipment at the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
Experts told Al Jazeera that drones and relatively cheap ballistic missiles have made large bases easier to target. The US is moving some assets from Gulf and European bases, with reports that it has relocated many military assets from Gulf facilities to Jordan and is considering Israel as another location. Analysts said Washington still sees no clear alternative to maintaining overseas bases, despite the growing risks for both US forces and host governments.
