Satellite images may have tipped off Iran before US base attack, top Republican warns

FIRST ON FOX: Sensitive U.S. military positions in the Middle East may have been exposed through commercial satellite imagery ahead of an Iranian strike that wounded American troops, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar warned in a new letter raising national security concerns.

In the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, Moolenaar said Airbus satellite imagery may have been the original source of images later published by a China-based company, MizarVision, which released high-resolution, annotated views of U.S. military aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

Moolenaar pointed to a sequence in which the firm publicly identified U.S. aircraft at the base shortly before Iran launched a March 27 missile and drone strike on the installation.

The attack wounded at least 12 U.S. service members — two critically — and damaged multiple high-value aircraft, including KC-135 refueling tankers and an E-3G Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft.

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Moolenaar said the timing and level of detail in the imagery raise questions about whether publicly available satellite data could be used by adversaries to identify and target U.S. military assets, warning that such images risk becoming "targeting data for enemy forces."

While commercial satellite imagery is widely available and often used for research and transparency, the letter warns that near-real-time, high-resolution images of active operations could provide adversaries with actionable intelligence.

Moolenaar urged War Secretary Pete Hegseth to press Airbus to restrict the release of such imagery, noting that other companies, including Planet Labs, have voluntarily withheld images of the region at the request of the U.S. government.

The push highlights a broader debate over whether limiting access to commercial satellite imagery during wartime is necessary to protect U.S. troops or risks restricting open-source intelligence.

A technical analysis conducted with a satellite systems expert found Airbus satellites were the "most plausible" source of the imagery, according to the letter, identifying multiple windows in which they were positioned to capture images of the base.

The letter also cites a "high likelihood" that Airbus imagery was made available prior to the conflict, though it does not establish how the images were obtained or whether Airbus provided them directly.

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The letter also cites a satellite imagery expert who said the images were unlikely to have originated from Chinese satellites given their known capabilities, further narrowing the pool of potential providers.

Commercial satellite imagery often is distributed through complex global licensing networks, meaning images captured by one company can pass through multiple intermediaries before being accessed or published by third parties.

Moolenaar also pointed to Airbus’ business ties in China, including a joint venture with entities linked to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, raising concerns about how satellite imagery could flow through networks connected to Beijing.

The concerns come amid broader scrutiny from the committee over Airbus’ ties to China. 

In a December 2025 letter, Moolenaar warned that Airbus’ work with Chinese firms linked to military development could risk advancing Beijing’s aerospace capabilities and said the French government had limited the committee’s ability to obtain information about Airbus’ operations.

The episode highlights the expanding role of open-source intelligence in modern warfare, where commercially available satellite imagery can offer near real-time insight into military operations and, in some cases, expose sensitive positions during active conflicts.

At the same time, such imagery has become a key tool for journalists, researchers and governments, often used to track conflicts and verify military activity—raising questions about how to balance transparency with security during wartime.

Airbus and the Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment.