Iran has urged Gulf civilians to report locations where U.S. troops are operating from hotels and commercial offices after American forces moved from bases following Iranian strikes. The New York Times reports that thousands of the roughly 40,000 U.S. personnel in the region have been relocated since the war began on Feb. 28. A retired U.S. special-operations sergeant warned such moves can reduce operational capability, while the IRGC called on residents to send tips via Telegram, framing it as a religious duty.
Iran Urges Gulf Civilians To Report U.S. Troops After Relocations To Hotels And Offices
Iranian officials have publicly urged civilians across the Gulf to report locations where U.S. service members are operating out of hotels and commercial office spaces, after American forces moved away from bases following Iranian strikes.
Relocations After Strikes
Reporting Wednesday, The New York Times said Tehran's retaliatory attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East prompted many U.S. personnel to relocate to facilities considered less likely targets. The Times reported that "thousands" of the roughly 40,000 U.S. troops stationed in the region when the war began on Feb. 28 have been moved to such sites, according to U.S. officials.
Operational Impact
Retired Master Sgt. Wes J. Bryant, a former U.S. Air Special Operations targeting specialist, warned that shifting operations into ad hoc locations can degrade capability.
"Yes, we have the ability to set up expedient operation centers, but you're absolutely going to lose capability," Bryant told The Times. "You can't just put all that equipment on the top of a hotel, for example. Some of it is unwieldy."
Iran's Call To Civilians
In reaction to the relocations, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) publicly urged residents in the region to report the whereabouts of American personnel. "We are forced to identify and target the Americans," the IRGC's intelligence arm said in a message reported by Tasnim News Agency. The statement added that it is "better not to shelter them in hotels and to stay away from their locations."
The message went further, calling it "your Islamic duty to accurately report the hiding places of American terrorists and send the information to us on Telegram," naming the messaging app as the preferred channel.
Context And Casualties
The United States and Israel have long accused militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah of using civilians as "human shields" by embedding fighters, weapons and infrastructure in residential areas in Gaza and Lebanon.
Casualty figures tied to the broader conflict include 13 U.S. service members and more than 1,500 Iranians since the war began. Officials say 18 Israelis and more than 1,000 Lebanese have also been killed amid Israel's operations in the region.
Sources: The New York Times, Tasnim News Agency, Mediaite.
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