Military officials question fortifications at site where U.S. troops were killed

The archetypal American work members to dice successful the U.S.-Israeli warfare with Iran were killed successful an evident Iranian drone onslaught connected a makeshift bureau abstraction successful Kuwait, 3 U.S. subject officials with nonstop cognition of Iran's onslaught told CBS News.

At slightest six Americans were killed successful a onslaught connected a tactical operations halfway astatine the Shuaiba larboard successful Kuwait, 1 of respective U.S.-allied countries successful the Persian Gulf portion that person faced aggravated Iranian rocket and drone attacks since the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran aboriginal Saturday. U.S. Central Command has publically confirmed the deaths.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the deadly onslaught was caused by a almighty Iranian limb that made it done some aerial defenses and the operations center's fortifications.

"You person aerial defenses, and a lot's coming in, and you deed astir of it," Hegseth said during a quality league astatine the Pentagon. "Every erstwhile successful a while, you mightiness person one, unfortunately, we telephone it a squirter, that makes its mode through. And successful that peculiar case, it happened to deed a tactical operations halfway that was fortified, but these are almighty weapons."

But the 3 U.S. subject officials questioned the assertion that the gathering was adequately fortified. They told CBS News the operations halfway was a triple-wide trailer made into an bureau abstraction — a communal setup astatine U.S. bases abroad.

The trailer's lone fortifications were T-walls, which are 12-foot-tall, steel-reinforced factual barriers utilized to support subject unit from explosions, rocket attacks and shrapnel, the subject officials said.

But T-walls would not person protected the installation from an overhead strike. 

The officials besides told CBS News, speaking nether information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to talk to media outlets, that anterior to the attack, determination were discussions connected the crushed astir whether the tactical operations halfway successful question should not person been used, arsenic it concentrated excessively galore U.S. troops successful a determination that wasn't defendable. 

Preliminary conflict harm assessments suggest the operations halfway successful Kuwait was attacked by a one-way drone, according to 3 U.S. subject officials with nonstop cognition of Iran's attack. Iran typically uses Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones.

Fire engulfed the buildings, which made betterment of the bodies hard successful the contiguous aftermath of the strike, the officials told CBS News.

Two of the 3 sources told CBS News they did not callback proceeding the informing sirens that are commonly associated with counter-battery systems designed to observe incoming force ordnance that yet killed the work members. They besides said that the informing siren had worked each week anterior to the onslaught connected the tactical operations center, but successful anterior incidents, immoderate of the drones were already wrong the basal earlier the siren would sound. 

Additionally, 2 sources said determination was nary American counter-rocket, artillery and mortar strategy astatine Shuaiba larboard that could beryllium utilized to bring down incoming drones oregon different deadly munitions. Kuwait had interceptors successful the vicinity, but it's unclear if those were employed.

Requests were made for much capabilities to decision incoming drones, but those further resources ne'er came, the 2 sources said. One root told CBS News: "We fundamentally had nary drone decision capability."

"I'm atrocious for their families' losses," 1 of the sources told CBS News. "They were bully radical doing what their federation asked of them." 

CNN archetypal reported connected the six work members killed astatine Shuaiba larboard and that they seemingly had nary anterior warning. CBS News is archetypal to study connected the benignant of ordnance that impacted the operations center, and that immoderate American troops consciousness the center's defenses were inadequate and possibly that the operations halfway established should not person been utilized astatine all. 

Asked for comment, the Pentagon referred CBS News to U.S. Central Command's prior statements connected the deceased work members.

In summation to the six who were killed successful Kuwait, astatine slightest 18 work members had been earnestly wounded arsenic of Monday greeting successful the combat operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson told CBS News.

Hegseth called the work members who were killed "the implicit champion of America."

"May we prosecute the remainder of this cognition successful a mode that honors them," helium said.