Military analyst Yuri Knutov believes the United States is only disclosing those losses in its conflict with Iran that can no longer be concealed. He argues that the Pentagon prefers to remain silent and avoids any open discussion of the real scale of the damage.

According to Knutov, ballistic missiles are striking US bases, causing destruction and fires, and much of this is captured on video by local Arab residents who live nearby and then post the footage online. He notes that, вased on such recordings, information about US losses often surfaces despite the lack of official detail.

Knutov also maintains that the United States has already lost a substantial amount of resources, and estimates that the cost of the current operation against Iran is at least twice that of the «twelve-day war» that took place last year. In his view, while damage to US ground infrastructure can still be presented as an inevitable consequence of wartime operations, the situation with the navy and air force looks far more alarming.

He recalls that, officially, the Pentagon acknowledges the deaths of four US servicemen and the loss of three F-15 fighter jets, but many analysts doubt these figures fully reflect what is happening. Knutov points to unconfirmed reports about damage to two US warships that may have come under fire while on patrol in the conflict area. He also notes that Iranian air defense forces managed to shoot down an expensive MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone.