Report: U.S. Weighs Moving Gulf Military Assets West, Including to Israel, After Iranian Strikes

The United States is considering shifting some of its Middle East military presence farther west, including possibly to Israel, after Iranian missile and drone attacks exposed the vulnerability of American bases in the Gulf, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The report says Iran’s retaliatory strikes caused roughly $400 million in damage to the U.S. Navy’s base in Bahrain, home to the Fifth Fleet. The Pentagon has publicly acknowledged far less damage than what the Journal says was visible through satellite images, social media footage, and other sources.

Facilities reportedly hit at Naval Support Activity Bahrain included the Fifth Fleet headquarters, barracks, warehouses, and a water tank. The U.S. military said no one was killed at the Bahrain base, though Iranian strikes across the region reportedly killed 13 American servicemembers and wounded hundreds.

U.S. officials are now weighing changes to reduce exposure to Iran’s missile and drone arsenal. Options reportedly include moving command centers underground, not rebuilding some destroyed structures, reducing presence in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and shifting some assets westward.

One possible destination under discussion is Israel, where U.S. aircraft have already been stationed since the lead-up to the Iran war.

The report comes as the Trump administration faces pressure over the growing cost of the Iran war, while Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth seeks about $80 billion in supplemental defense funding.

Israel is not part of the current U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and has criticized the deal, which reportedly restricts Israeli operations against Hezbollah while offering no concrete Iranian concessions on its nuclear program.

The bigger picture is clear: Iran’s terror regime has shown once again that American and Israeli security interests are deeply connected. The U.S. and Israel cannot allow Tehran and its proxies to dictate the future of the region through missiles, drones, and blackmail.