ISTANBUL

US forces in the Middle East are conducting operations from hotels and temporary sites as Iran’s retaliatory attacks have damaged multiple American military bases, officials have said.

Tehran has been targeting US bases, embassies, and regional infrastructure amid the ongoing US-Israeli offensive on Iran, forcing the Pentagon to disperse thousands of troops across temporary locations, according to a New York Times report released on Wednesday.

Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “To date, we’ve struck over 7,000 targets across Iran and its military infrastructure.”

Several US bases, particularly in Kuwait, were left nearly uninhabitable. Strikes at Port Shuaiba killed six US service members and destroyed a tactical operations center.

Other bases, including Ali Al Salem, Camp Buehring, Al Udeid, and Prince Sultan, sustained extensive damage to aircraft, fuel, and communications facilities.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has urged civilians to report US troop locations, stating: “It is your Islamic duty to accurately report the hiding places of American terrorists and send the information to us on Telegram,” according to Tasnim News Agency.

While the Pentagon bolsters defenses and maintains its operations, retired US Air Force Master Sgt. Wes J. Bryant warned: “You can’t just put all that equipment on the top of a hotel. … You still lose something.”

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged that despite the air campaign, Iran “still retain(s) some capability” to strike in the region.

The US and Israel have maintained airstrikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing so far over 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.