The Pentagon wants to prevent “open-source intelligence” leaks as it tightly controls evidence of damage to its bases
The US military has warned troops in the Middle East against filming the aftermath of Iranian drone and missile attacks, with some personnel in Jordan reportedly told that their mobile phones could soon be confiscated to strengthen “operational security.”
The head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, claimed in a July 28 letter obtained by Reuters that photos and videos published by American service members were helping Tehran improve the accuracy of its strikes.
Cooper complained that journalists and online “open-source intelligence” researchers were effectively conducting battle-damage assessments for Tehran.
“Iran knows the weapons were fired; however, their forces do not know if they missed by 50 meters, hit an empty tarmac, or successfully struck a crowded facility,” Cooper wrote. “Detailed lists, descriptions, and analyses of what was hit, openly published by news outlets, are essentially performing Iran’s Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) for them, free of charge.”
One video cited by Cooper was recorded using Meta smart glasses during a deadly Iranian missile and drone attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17. The footage showed US troops running for shelter and entering a bunker as warning sirens blared.
Video captures the moment that several Iranian medium to intermediate-range ballistic missiles struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan overnight, killing at least two and injuring several other American Servicemembers. pic.twitter.com/cJz39E1LvP
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 18, 2026
Separate close-range footage from the same night appeared to capture multiple ballistic missiles directly striking the Jordanian facility. The Pentagon later confirmed that three American service members had been killed in the attack.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rt.com
