US military may require some troops in Mideast to surrender cell phones, sources say
The top U.S. commander for the Middle East, Adm. Brad Cooper, has warned troops that cellphone videos shared online can help Iran target American bases. In a previously unreported letter, Cooper stated that Iran benefits from open-source intelligence, including photos and footage from troops' cellphones, to assess the success of its strikes. Sources told Reuters that some deployed personnel in Jordan may soon be ordered to surrender their phones due to operational security concerns. The warning follows a July 17 Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, where a service member posted a video recorded on Meta smart glasses showing evacuation to a bunker. Cooper emphasized that such information effectively performs Iran's Battle Damage Assessment for free. The conflict, which began on Feb. 28, has killed 18 U.S. troops and wounded over 600. Democratic lawmakers have demanded more information about the war, including details of infrastructure damage and a probe into a strike on a girls' school in Iran.
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