Middle East

Newsbreak - Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures at U.S. bases across eight countries in the Middle East, according to a report on the Iran war from the Pentagon’s official watchdog.

The war has also resulted in a shortfall of strategic munitions and revealed “bottlenecks” in the defense industry as the U.S. military sought to resupply the depleted stock of munitions.

The report, produced by the Defense Department’s inspector general for Congress, was released on Sept. 14 and covers the start of the war on Feb. 28 through June 30. It offers the most comprehensive official account of the war’s cost and impact on U.S. military bases and equipment.

The war, which President Donald Trump initially estimated would last four to five weeks, is now in its seventh month and has cost the U.S. at least $33.4 billion as of June 29, according to the report. The figure does not account for repairs to damaged facilities and many experts believe the total cost of the war is significantly higher.

….Buildings and facilities at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan were damaged or destroyed by Iranian strikes during the war. The report confirmed that Iran targeted the U.S. Navy’s main logistics hub in Bahrain with drones and ballistic missiles.

The Hill -  Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Tuesday launched an effort to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, citing the Pentagon’s military actions against Iran.

Massie, a frequent critic of President Trump, accused Hegseth of launching an illegal war that was not approved by Congress. He introduced articles of impeachment on the House floor against Hegseth for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

Massie also took the remarkable step of making his resolution privileged, meaning he’s forcing it to the floor for a vote. By House rules, that vote must come within two days.

He argued that Hegseth violated “his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States” and violated “his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, especially with regard to the commission of war.” He added that Hegseth has “abused the powers of the Department of Defense.”