Illustrative image. (Tasnim News Agency)
Iranian fighter pilots who were involved in the daring airstrike on Camp Buehring in Kuwait amid the American-Israeli war disclosed details of the operation for the first time in an interview aired by Iranian state TV on June 17.
NBC News was first to report on the airstrike last April, saying at the time that an F-5 fighter jet from the Iranian air force managed to slip past all air defenses and attack the U.S. military camp deep in Kuwait.
Camp Buehring is a huge staging post in northwestern Kuwait that serves as the primary location for the U.S. Army’s Middle Eastern Theater Reserve. It provides critical live-fire ranges in the wider Udairi Range Complex area, in addition to desert-familiarization training meant to prepare tens of thousands of troops for combat operations in the region.
The camp is capable of hosting dozens of helicopters, and has an airstrip especially for military cargo aircraft and combat drones.
In the interview, the commander of the operation said that after learning hours later that the country had come under foreign attack, planning for an airstrike on Camp Buehring immediately began.
He said the pilots launched the mission by flying at extremely low altitude and pledged among themselves to carry it through.
“We flew at very low altitude. At some points we passed beneath high-voltage power lines and flew below 50 feet,” the unnamed commander said.
The commander added that the pilots were aware the Camp Buehring was protected by a multi-layered air defense systems.
“Although we knew interception and surveillance sites were active, we maintained complete radio silence. We entered the waters of some neighboring countries and flew so low that at one point we passed between two ships,” he said.
According to the commander, the formation entered Kuwaiti airspace at high speed and reached the camp, where the pilots carried out a heavy airstrike using unguided bombs that required direct approach to the target before release. He noted that the pilots witnessed American helicopters burning on the ground.
The pilot further said that the scale of destruction exceeded expectations and described extensive fires at Camp Buehring.
He also stated that the strike created confusion among enemy forces and noted that Kuwaiti air defenses mistakenly targeted three American F-15 fighter jets.
The Iranian air force conducted a deception operation that prevented pursuit and enabled the aircraft to land successfully at a predetermined location, according to him.
The commander noted that the incident angered U.S. President Donald Trump, who did talk about an air defense error over Kuwait.
Another pilot involved in the operation said that as long as he could maintain visual contact after the strike, he observed American military equipment being destroyed.
He said that all Iranian air force personnel had been grieving for students killed in a school in the southern city of Minab during the opening American and Israeli strikes.
“We never assumed we would return,” he added.
Concluding the account, the operation commander said the mission lasted a total of 50 minutes and that only a limited number of people had been aware of it beforehand.
“Iran and the Iranian people are our first priority and our own lives come last. If necessary, we will strike the enemy again,” he added.
The Iranian air force received more than 300 F-5 from the U.S. starting in the 1960s and all the way through the 1970s. Less than 40 are reported to be still in service, and beside being completely outdated, they are in a poor operational condition.
The Iranian airstrike on Camp Buehring marked the first successful attack by a foreign fighter jet on U.S. forces in several decades.
Satellite images and photos leaked online revealed extensive damage at Camp Buehring caused by the airstrike, in addition to later missile and drone strikes.
Iran fought fiercely during the war, preventing the U.S. and Israel from realizing their goals. The Iranian victory was solidified in the memorandum of understanding to end the war, which was announced earlier in the week. Coming days will likely reveal more about the operations conducted by the Islamic Republic during the war.
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cheating his own workers, robbing the state, showing false balance sheets, defrauded the state to bail out his companies, raped underage girls…
he cheated with cryptocurrency and manipulated the stock market.
when does it end?
sounds like newsome ?
never. the world is shit and anyone with any real power is in on it
but iran does not have any naval or air force per hegseth and trump statements. americans have no way to assess war damage to the regional us bases. they are not allowed to know. i tried al to calculate but was blocked from totaling damaged equipment and costs. real quantities are not available. i got to 30 billion