Exclusive video obtained by CBS News documents Iranian missile, drone and fighter jet attacks on Camp Buehring, a major American staging base in Kuwait, during the opening days of a war that began seven months ago. The footage shows explosions, structural damage and destroyed equipment, offering the clearest public look yet at how exposed U.S. forces were before a rapid repositioning effort pulled most troops out of range.
What the Footage Shows
The video, recorded by someone stationed at Camp Buehring and authenticated by CBS News through embedded metadata and comparison with other photographic evidence, captures the moment of impact and its aftermath. Witnesses described ballistic missiles, drones and Iranian F-5 fighter jets flying close enough that one eyewitness said they could see the pilots' helmets. Camp Buehring, roughly 25 miles from the Iraqi border, has served as a logistics and staging hub for American forces across the region for more than two decades, which made its exposure during the war especially consequential.
A Base Stripped of Ammunition
Before the fighting began, most of the roughly 7,000 troops normally stationed at Camp Buehring had already been moved elsewhere under what the Pentagon calls getting "off the X" - shorthand for relocating forces away from predictable, vulnerable positions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed in March that more than 90% of American personnel on regional bases had been shifted out of range of Iranian fire. Yet more than 100 soldiers remained behind at Camp Buehring, and according to a source who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity, they ran critically low on .50-caliber ammunition as the attacks intensified. A senior Army logistics official confirmed concerns extended to other "exquisite" munitions, including Patriot missile interceptors, underscoring how quickly a prolonged bombardment can outpace resupply even at a well-established installation.
Retreat to the Desert, and Unexpected Injuries
Facing continued strikes, soldiers eventually abandoned the base, driving at night into Kuwait's Udari Desert to set up forward operating bases. No one was killed by enemy fire at Camp Buehring or the makeshift FOBs, but two soldiers were injured by lightning during desert sandstorms in late April - one suffering burns, the other a ruptured eardrum - a reminder that environmental hazards compounded the risks troops faced even after combat exposure eased. Soldiers eventually relocated to Camp Arifjan in May before moving to other postings in and outside the Middle East.
The Broader Toll of the War
The Pentagon's inspector general reported last month that equipment losses from the war reached as much as $3.7 billion, including nearly 60 aircraft. The Congressional Research Service separately reported 81 fixed or rotary-wing aircraft, including drone assets, lost or damaged since February. The same inspector general report confirmed Iranian strikes hit U.S. bases not just in Kuwait but also in Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan - a geographic spread illustrating how far Iran's retaliatory reach extended across American military infrastructure in the region.
- Camp Buehring: major staging base near the Iraqi border, struck by missiles, drones and jets
- More than 100 soldiers remained behind despite the broader withdrawal
- .50-caliber ammunition and Patriot interceptor stocks came under strain
- No combat deaths at the base, though lightning injured two soldiers at a desert FOB
- Pentagon-confirmed strikes extended to seven additional countries
Central Command declined to comment when contacted by CBS News, and the Pentagon referred questions back to Hegseth's earlier remarks. The source who described the attacks called for a formal investigation into why reinforcements never arrived, a question that remains unanswered as Congress continues reviewing the financial and material costs of the conflict.