U.S. Army survivors of deadly Iranian attack in Kuwait dispute's Pentagon's account

Survivors of the deadliest Iranian attack on U.S. forces since the war began have disputed the Pentagon's description of events and said their unit in Kuwait was left dangerously exposed. Six service members were killed and more than 20 wounded in the attack.

Speaking publicly for the first time, members of the targeted unit offered CBS News a detailed account of the attack and its harrowing aftermath. They disputed the description of events from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who called the drone a "squirter" — suggesting it squirted through the defenses of a fortified unit inside Kuwait.

"Painting a picture that 'one squeaked through' is a falsehood," one of the injured soldiers told CBS News. "I want people to know the unit … was unprepared to provide any defense for itself. It was not a fortified position."

The service member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of rigid media restrictions within the military, said that in spite of the carnage that ensued, those inside the charred and splintered compound responded with swiftness, ingenuity and valor that saved lives.

"I don't think that the security environment or any leadership decision diminishes in any way their sacrifice or their service," the member of the Army's 103rd Sustainment Command said in an interview. "Those soldiers put themselves in harm's way and … I'm immensely proud of them, and their family should be proud of them."