The US commander for the Middle East, Admiral Brad Cooper, has warned soldiers that videos and photos posted online from their mobile phones can help Iran assess the effectiveness of its strikes and plan new attacks on American bases. According to sources of "Reuters" Some troops stationed in the region could soon be ordered to hand over their phones.
In a previously unpublished letter dated July 28, Cooper urged service members to "redouble their focus on operational security", warning that Iran was using "reactions, photos and footage from our troops' cell phones", as well as journalistic publications, to monitor the results of its attacks in near real time.
"The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilians in targeted Gulf countries," Cooper wrote.
According to two sources in Jordan, a frequent target of Iranian strikes, some service members have already been told that their phones will be confiscated in the coming days. A third source said similar measures are being discussed elsewhere in the region but have not yet been finalized. A spokesman for U.S. Central Command said the memo was a general reminder of the importance of operational security.
Cooper cited a video posted to Instagram of a Meta glasses-equipped military member taking part in an Iranian attack on Muwafaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17. "Video taken with a service member's Meta glasses was posted to Instagram showing where and how the individual evacuated to a bunker during an Iranian missile and drone attack," Cooper wrote.
"Iran knows the weapons were used; however, their forces do not know whether they missed their target by 50 meters, hit an empty runway, or successfully engaged a crowded target," he wrote. "The detailed lists, descriptions and analyses of what was hit, published publicly by news outlets, essentially perform Iran's battle damage assessment (BDA) for free," Cooper said. Such revelations, he said, could become an "instant green light" for subsequent, even more devastating attacks.
Since the conflict with Iran began on February 28, about 18 American service members have been killed and more than 600 wounded.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are pushing for more information about damage to American bases and for a military investigation into a possible American strike on a girls' school in Iran. U.S. officials have warned for years that data from mobile devices and apps could be used to track and target military targets, increasing pressure on the Pentagon to limit the public disclosure of operational information.