U.S. military facilities across the Middle East sustained serious damage as a result of Iranian strikes. ABC News, citing available imagery, reported destroyed buildings and damaged aircraft at U.S. facilities in Kuwait, as well as at a base in Saudi Arabia where American forces are stationed.

The Pentagon has yet to release a full assessment of the damage to its facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan. Against this backdrop, the gap between restrained official statements and the visible consequences of the attacks is becoming increasingly apparent.

A senior U.S. military official, speaking anonymously to ABC News, said some of the bases had suffered irreparable damage. In the official’s assessment, if Washington decides to rebuild the affected facilities, the work could take not years but decades. The Pentagon declined to comment on that assessment.

The scale of the damage is particularly notable given the size of the U.S. force assembled for the war with Iran. According to U.S. reports, the force numbered about 50,000 personnel by the end of February. Washington, however, was not primarily relying on a ground operation. Instead, the plan was to break Iran through missile strikes and bombing while simultaneously seeking to bring down the government of the Islamic Republic with the help of Iran’s internal opposition.

That strategy failed. Iran began responding strike for strike, with consequences severe enough that U.S. regional allies, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, were the first to urge Washington to stop. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz dealt another blow to the U.S. plan, ultimately putting an end to any prospect of success for Operation Epic Fury.