Aerial Photographs Show Iranian Navy and Atomic Sites Targeted by Joint US and Israeli Strikes.
A wave of US and Israeli airstrikes has allegedly destroyed or damaged a minimum of eleven Iran's navy ships starting Saturday, new satellite images show, with missile bases and nuclear sites also sustaining hits.
Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and is home to the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, depict smoke billowing from multiple ships on Monday and Tuesday.
Maritime Forces Sustained Major Losses
Included in the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had served as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery showed dark plumes emanating from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Intelligence reports state that at least five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Imagery of the south end of the port depict smoke emanating from the Makran, while two other vessels seem to be damaged, with one clearly on fire.
Over at Konarak, photos reveal several stricken ships, with intelligence reports identifying impacts on six vessels. Photos from the start of the week also demonstrate that a number of facilities at the installation have been demolished.
"For decades the Iran's leadership has harassed global maritime traffic," an American commander said. "Now, there is no vessel from Iran underway in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."
Some ships allegedly destroyed may have been hidden in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts stated that a ship from Iran was foundering near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.
Rocket Installations and Nuclear Facilities Attacked
Eliminating Iran's rocket sites and the stopping enrichment activities were listed as additional objectives of the military strikes. Aerial imagery also depicted damage at the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were hit.
At the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was observed to sheds, bunkers and drone launch equipment.
Destruction was also observed at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern Iran, near the border with neighboring nations.
Of particular note, the new round of strikes have reportedly focused on sites at Natanz – widely believed to be at the core of Iran's atomic program. A global monitoring agency stated that the damaged structures were used for access to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was likely.
Broader Consequences and Assessment
Observers suggested that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's capacity to carry out standard operations using its most significant vessels. But, it was emphasised that Tehran maintains the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.
The full extent of the damage caused to Iran's defense infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes said to be ongoing. Photos also shows considerable destruction to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.
Numerous of civilian buildings also seem to have been hit in the capital city and throughout the country after the conflict escalated. Toll estimates from ground sources indicate that a high number of civilians may have been fatally injured in the strikes.
As the situation develops, review of satellite imagery will continue to assess the changing battlefield picture.