Satellite Pictures Show Iran's Naval Forces and Atomic Facilities Struck by Joint US and Israeli Airstrikes.
A wave of joint airstrikes has allegedly eliminated or harmed a minimum of eleven Iran's navy ships since Saturday, freshly analyzed aerial photos show, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also being targeted.
Photographs of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iranian navy, depict smoke billowing from multiple ships on the start of the week.
Naval Forces Incurred Major Losses
Included in the targets eliminated was the Makran, Iran's most sizable ship which had served as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery showed thick smoke pouring from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence reports indicate that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Imagery of the southern end of the harbor depict plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while two other ships appear to be damaged, with one of them seen burning.
At Konarak, images display multiple stricken vessels, with analysis identifying damage to a half-dozen warships. Photos taken on the start of the week also show that several facilities at the installation have been demolished.
"For many years the Tehran government has disrupted global maritime traffic," a senior US military official said. "At present, there is no Iranian ship underway in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."
A number of ships allegedly destroyed may have been concealed in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Separate reports suggested that one Iranian ship was foundering off the coast of Sri Lankan territorial waters, resulting in a search and rescue mission.
Missile Bases and Nuclear Facilities Hit
Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the prevention of enrichment activities were declared as additional goals of the air campaign. Satellite images also depicted strikes on the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were hit.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site to the west of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was seen to sheds, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.
Damage was also observed at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Significantly, the latest wave of strikes have reportedly focused on facilities at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the core of the country's atomic program. The UN's atomic energy body said that the affected structures were used for entry to the facility's underground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.
Broader Fallout and Assessment
Observers indicated that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval ability to sustain traditional warfare using its most significant vessels. But, it was noted that Tehran still has the capacity to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.
The full extent of the destruction caused to Iranian military facilities is still uncertain, with strikes reportedly continuing. Imagery also indicates widespread damage to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.
A significant number of public facilities also are reported to have been hit in the capital and across the country after the conflict escalated. Reports of deaths from local officials indicate that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the attacks.
Amid continuing hostilities, review of space-based data will continue to track the unfolding scope of damage.