Senior US military officials have privately contradicted Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over the deaths of American troops in Kuwait, raising fresh questions about Pentagon transparency as the conflict with Iran escalates.

Six soldiers were killed and 18 seriously injured in a drone strike at Shuaiba port, now in its fourth day under sustained missile and drone attack.

Pentagon’s ‘Fortified’ Claim Challenged

At a Monday briefing, Hegseth said a powerful Iranian weapon slipped through air defences and hit a “fortified” tactical operations centre. “Every once in a while… you might have one… that makes its way through,” he said.

But three senior officials told CBS News the building was not fortified at all. It was a triple-wide trailer in a makeshift office compound, shielded only by concrete T-walls designed to deflect shrapnel — not direct aerial strikes.

Warnings Ignored, Protections Missing

Two officials said the drone struck the trailer dead centre, engulfing it in a fireball that complicated recovery efforts. There were no effective overhead protections. “We basically had no drone defeat capability,” one source said.

More troubling still, officials claim concerns had already been raised about concentrating too many personnel in a location that “wasn’t defendable”. Requests for additional counter-drone systems were allegedly not fulfilled.

Sirens Silent as Drones Closed In

According to two sources, warning sirens were never heard before the strike. The alarm system had reportedly malfunctioned all week.

The deaths have sharpened scrutiny of the Pentagon’s preparedness as US forces expand operations linked to the Iran conflict.

Evacuations Broaden Across Region

Ahead of the strikes, Washington evacuated its embassy in Israel. The United States Department of State has now urged Americans to leave a swathe of countries across the Middle East, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan.

For grieving families, the political fallout is secondary. “They were nice people doing what their nation asked of them,” one official said.

US military officials privately refute Pentagon chief’s spin to reporters

Americans in the Middle East and their allies should storm the embassies for protection. Bet they won't let their own citizens in.