A US military base in the Middle East was rocked by a sudden Iranian missile barrage overnight, with dozens of soldiers narrowly escaping death as warheads slammed into the perimeter, defence sources say.

The attack began just after 3:00 a.m. local time, when air‑raid sirens shattered the silence and loudspeakers ordered troops to “take cover, this is not a drill.” Within seconds, the first ballistic missile detonated near a vehicle park, flipping armoured trucks and showering sleeping quarters with shrapnel. Surveillance footage shows soldiers diving into bunkers as shockwaves rip through the compound.

Patriot batteries fired desperately, intercepting several incoming missiles in mid‑air, but at least two warheads exploded inside the base’s outer ring. One blast tore a crater into a maintenance yard only metres from a crowded barracks; windows were blown out, beds mangled, but medics say timing and reinforced walls prevented a mass‑casualty disaster.

Pentagon officials report multiple wounded—some seriously—but no confirmed fatalities, calling it “a miracle of drills and discipline.” Tehran’s state media, however, claims “dozens of American invaders” were killed and vows more strikes if US operations against Iranian targets continue.

As dawn exposed twisted metal and scorched sand, exhausted soldiers described the night as “seconds from hell.” For commanders in Washington and Tehran alike, the message from this battlefield is chilling: one or two different impact points, and this headline would have been far worse—and the road to total war even shorter.