NBC reported that the US surveillance infrastructure in the Middle East suffered billions of dollars in losses as a result of Iranian strikes.
The channel noted on Tuesday that Iranian missile and drone strikes had inflicted unprecedented damage on US reconnaissance sites in the region, and that their dimensions exceeded any damage that US intelligence had ever faced.
The channel's sources added that restoring the reconnaissance infrastructure in the Middle East would cost the United States billions of dollars.
She pointed out that the Iranian strikes raise doubts about the ability of the US State Department, the Pentagon, and intelligence agencies to protect US sites in the region.
This comes against the backdrop of the United States declaring an "economic war" on Iran by tightening sanctions, following the collapse of the agreement to end the war reached between Washington and Tehran last June.
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Fire breaks out at one of Kazakhstan's largest oil refineries
A fire broke out on Tuesday at the Atyrau oil refinery, one of Kazakhstan's largest, before firefighters were able to bring it under control and extinguish it completely without any injuries being reported.
The Atyrau Oil Refinery Company reported that the fire broke out at 12:35 inside a sedimentation unit belonging to the closed mechanical processing facilities, noting that no work was taking place at the site at the moment the fire broke out.
The company explained that the fire broke out in the oil sludge located inside the sedimentation tank, confirming that the refinery continues to operate normally.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations said that a report about rising smoke was received by the "112" center at 12:55, and the ministry's forces and vehicles were immediately sent to the site due to the nature of the facility.
Approximately 65 personnel and 19 vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Emergency Situations participated in the firefighting operations, along with the Simser Firefighting Teams, Atyrau Airport, and the NCOC Rescue Service.
The ministry added that the fire was brought under control at 13:42 and the spread of the flames was stopped, before it was completely extinguished later, confirming that there were no injuries, while an investigation is underway to determine the causes of its outbreak.
The Atyrau refinery is one of three major refineries in Kazakhstan and was commissioned in 1945. The national company KazMunaiGas owns 99% of its shares, and its design capacity is 5.5 million tons of oil per year.
