Survivors of a deadly Iranian drone attack on a U.S. military facility in Kuwait have disputed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's account of the incident, claiming the facility was not fortified as he described. The attack, which killed six American service members and injured more than 20 others, occurred on March 1 at a tactical operations center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
In interviews with CBS News, anonymous survivors described the facility as unprepared for aerial attacks. One soldier said the unit was 'unprepared to provide any defense for itself,' while another called Hegseth's characterization of the drone as a 'squirter' that slipped through defenses a 'falsehood.' The survivors described the facility as having only T-walls—steel-reinforced concrete barriers designed to protect against ground-based attacks—but no aerial defenses.
Hegseth had previously stated that the drone attack hit a 'fortified' tactical operations center and that such breaches were rare. However, survivors said the facility lacked proper counter-drone measures, including steel reinforcements required by the Army's counter-drone manual. They also described chaotic scenes after the attack, with soldiers administering aid to themselves and using civilian vehicles to transport the injured.
The attack was one of only two fatal strikes against U.S. forces during the Iran war. Survivors also noted that the facility had been identified as a potential target in intelligence reports before the attack. The Pentagon has not publicly responded to the survivors' accounts.