Iran inflicts billions in damage on U.S. intelligence infrastructure - NBC News

Iranian missile and drone strikes have caused billions of dollars in damage to U.S. intelligence facilities and surveillance systems in the Middle East. The scale of destruction represents unprecedented losses for the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies.

NBC News reports this, citing four sources familiar with the situation.

The attacks damaged buildings and expensive intelligence-gathering equipment. Some of these systems are used by U.S. intelligence jointly with the military.

The exact amount of damage has not been disclosed by the sources, but they estimate the cost of repairs and replacement of damaged infrastructure at billions of dollars. Due to the scale of the losses, Congress will need to find additional funding to restore the facilities.

U.S. authorities are also reviewing approaches to reassigning intelligence personnel and valuable equipment in the Middle East, where U.S. facilities have proven vulnerable to Iranian missiles and drones.

According to NBC News, the current attacks represent the most serious aerial threat to U.S. intelligence agencies in decades. The CIA, since its creation in 1947, has — as far as publicly known — never previously faced such prolonged strikes on its infrastructure.

The scale of damage to U.S. military infrastructure has also been significant. Earlier, an analysis of satellite images by The Washington Post revealed damage or destruction of at least 228 buildings and pieces of equipment at 15 U.S. military sites in the region.

The CIA and the White House have not commented on NBC News' assessments. The Pentagon has previously stated that U.S. forces in the region remain fully combat-ready, without disclosing detailed assessments of the damage caused.

Materials based on: NBC News, The Washington Post