An Iranian F-5 fighter jet bombed Camp Buehring in Kuwait during the opening phase of the Iran war, according to NBC News, a stunning breach because the base had air defenses in place and because the F-5 is not some cutting-edge stealth platform. It is an old, U.S.-designed fighter from another era, kept alive by Tehran through decades of sanctions, improvisation and cannibalized parts.

NBC reported that the F-5 attack marked the first time in years that an enemy fixed-wing aircraft struck an American military base. The target, Camp Buehring, is a major U.S. staging and logistics hub in Kuwait, tied into America’s wider Gulf posture and located near other key U.S. facilities. NBC did not publicly confirm whether the aircraft returned to Iran or was later shot down.

NBC, citing U.S. officials, congressional aides and an American Enterprise Institute assessment, reported that Iranian retaliatory strikes caused far more damage to U.S. bases and equipment across the Middle East than Washington has publicly acknowledged. The targets reportedly included warehouses, command headquarters, aircraft hangars, satellite communications systems, runways, high-end radar systems and dozens of aircraft across seven Middle Eastern countries.

AEI’s assessment reportedly found that Iran hit more than 100 targets across 11 U.S. bases, with infrastructure repair costs estimated at well over $5 billion. That figure does not appear to fully capture the replacement cost of destroyed or damaged aircraft, radars, weapons systems and specialized military equipment. NBC also reported damage to at least two air-defense systems, while earlier reporting said U.S. losses included aircraft such as MQ-9 Reaper drones, MC-130 tankers, helicopters and other high-value platforms.

Senior Trump administration officials had publicly described Iran’s military capability as shattered, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying Iran’s air force had been “wiped out” and that the U.S. “own[s] their skies.” Gen. Dan Caine also said U.S. forces had struck more than 13,000 targets and flown more than 10,000 missions during Operation Epic Fury. Those claims may still reflect the scale of American offensive success, but the reported F-5 bombing shows Iran retained enough combat capability to land a symbolic and operationally embarrassing blow.

The Pentagon has not released a full public battle-damage assessment. An official told NBC that the military does not discuss battle damage assessments for operational security reasons, while TASS separately reported that Pentagon officials said they did not yet have a final number for damage to overseas installations or the cost of rebuilding them. That silence has only sharpened frustration among some lawmakers, especially as the Pentagon seeks major new funding for repairs, replenishment and future readiness.