The US military does not have adequate defenses against Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones, The Atlantic reports, citing a congressional source.

"The US military doesn't have good defenses against [the] Shahed," the source told the outlet following a classified congressional briefing with senior US officials. According to the source, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine acknowledged the problem. "They have to use the defenses they have. It's expensive," the source added.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal, citing Western officials, reported that Iran's drone arsenal would allow Tehran to continue retaliatory strikes even if its missile stockpiles are exhausted.

On February 28, the US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran, striking major Iranian cities, including Tehran. The White House justified the attack by citing missile and nuclear threats allegedly emanating from Tehran. The IRGC announced a large-scale retaliatory operation, attacking targets in Israel as well as US facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other key figures in the Islamic Republic's leadership were killed in the strikes on Iran.