'They came in, they hit us': New videos show Iranian attacks on US Camp Buehring in Kuwait | Watch

Newly obtained videos show the impact of Iranian missile and drone attacks on a major US military base in Kuwait during the opening days of the American war with Iran, offering a rare look at the damage suffered by American forces. The footage from Camp Buehring, obtained exclusively by CBS News, was recorded by a person stationed at the base and captures explosions as Iranian weapons struck the installation. Damage to buildings and military equipment is also visible in the videos.

CBS News confirmed that it has authenticated the footage using metadata embedded in the files and by comparing it with other photographs showing damage at the base.

Iranian missiles, drones hit US base

Camp Buehring, also known as CBKU, is located about 25 miles from Kuwait's border with Iraq and has served for more than two decades as a major staging ground for US forces deploying across the Middle East. During the opening phase of the war, Iranian attacks repeatedly threatened the base, with missiles and drones forcing American troops into bunkers.

Three US service members told CBS News that Iranian F-5 fighter jets were also involved in the attacks, a detail previously reported by NBC News. “They ran so close to us I could see their helmets,” one eyewitness told CBS News. “They came in, they hit us, and then took off.”

Most troops had already been moved

The attacks reportedly came after the Pentagon had already begun moving most American troops away from Camp Buehring as part of what the military called its “get off the X” strategy. Most of the roughly 7,000 troops at the base had been moved elsewhere before the war began. More than 90 per cent of American troops stationed at US bases had been moved out of the range of Iranian fire, according to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's March comments. But more than 100 soldiers remained at Camp Buehring.

Those who stayed behind faced repeated attacks and growing concerns about whether the isolated installation could cope with a mass-casualty event. “They hit us bad,” one service member told CBS News on condition of anonymity. “It was horrible. There were a lot of brave guys who stayed to fight there—and people at home don't know what happened. We had to abandon the base.”

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Troops ran low on ammunition

The attacks also exposed concerns about the availability of ammunition and other critical military equipment. Reportedly, the soldiers defending Camp Buehring experienced a critical shortage of .50-calibre ammunition as they were repositioned into the Udari Desert in Kuwait.

A senior Army logistics official, who was managing operations from another location in Kuwait, confirmed there were concerns about supplies including .50-calibre ammunition and other high-value munitions such as Patriot missile batteries.

The Pentagon ultimately decided to move the remaining troops away from the base. Soldiers packed equipment into vehicles and drove at night into remote areas of the Kuwaiti desert, where temporary forward operating bases, or FOBs, were established.

‘CBKU got demolished’

The service member who spoke anonymously questioned why reinforcements had not been sent to Camp Buehring as the attacks intensified. “CBKU got demolished,” one person told the publication, demanding, “They need to do an investigation. How come no one came to reinforce us?”

US military losses under review

The Camp Buehring footage comes as the scale of US military losses from the conflict is coming under greater scrutiny. A Defence Department inspector general report released last month identified equipment losses worth as much as $3.7 billion, including nearly 60 aircraft.

The Congressional Research Service subsequently reported that 81 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including drones, had been lost or damaged by Iran since February, citing news reports and Defence Department statements.

The inspector general's report also said US Central Command had recorded Iranian strikes against American bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan. Yet visual evidence from many of those attacks has remained scarce till now. Camp Buerhring's newly released footage now offers a close look at the challenges US troops faced early in the conflict, including decisions to spread out forces, leave exposed areas, and push deeper into the Kuwaiti desert.