Donald Trump recently said that the United States is winning in Iran. But soldiers on the ground and new pictures tell a very different story.

American military bases in the Middle East took major damage. Photos and messages from troops show that several bases were hit hard. Buildings, equipment, and runways were smashed. Some reports say top military leaders tried to hide how bad the damage really was at first.

Now, the Pentagon—the team in charge of the US military—is trying to figure out what to do next. Fixing these bases will cost a lot of money. Because of this, military bosses are asking big questions. Should the US spend billions of dollars to rebuild these bases? Or should US troops leave parts of the Gulf region for good?

For a long time, the US kept thousands of troops and expensive weapons on huge bases across the Middle East. Leaders thought these bases were safe and made the US look strong. But recent attacks showed a big weak spot. Weapons like missiles and drones can reach these big bases very easily.

Some military experts say keeping troops packed together on a few large bases makes them easy targets. Now, top planners are deciding if they should move troops to safer spots, spread them out, or leave some bases entirely.

While politicians say everything is going great, the soldiers living on those bases saw the real damage. Fixing the bases will take time and a lot of money, and the US military presence in the region might have to change forever.

Source: Medium