Space-Based Images Show Iran's Navy and Nuclear Locations Struck by US-Israeli Airstrikes.
A wave of American and Israeli attacks has allegedly eliminated or harmed no fewer than eleven Iran's navy ships since Saturday, new aerial photos demonstrate, with rocket sites and enrichment plants also being targeted.
Pictures of the southern Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and contains the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show plumes of smoke rising from a number of ships on the start of the week.
Maritime Assets Incurred Major Losses
Included in the vessels destroyed was the IRINS Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had functioned as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery indicated thick smoke emanating from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.
Analytical evaluations suggest that at least five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern part of the harbor reveal smoke emanating from the IRINS Makran, while two other ships seem to be harmed, with one clearly on fire.
Over at the Konarak base, photos display multiple harmed vessels, with analysis pointing to strikes against six ships. Images taken on the start of the week also indicate that several buildings at the installation have been destroyed.
"For many years the Iran's leadership has threatened global maritime traffic," a senior US military official said. "Now, there is no Iranian ship operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."
Some ships reportedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by haze or plumes, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports suggested that a ship from Iran was sinking near Sri Lankan waters, resulting in a rescue operation.
Rocket Bases and Nuclear Locations Attacked
Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were stated as further goals of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also showed damage at the southerly Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were targeted.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone base west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread damage was identified to warehouses, underground facilities and drone launch equipment.
Destruction was also seen at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Perhaps most notably, the latest wave of strikes have reportedly focused on facilities at the Natanz complex – long said to be at the core of Iran's enrichment efforts. An international watchdog commented that the damaged structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.
Broader Impact and Assessment
Observers indicated that the attacks appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval capability to carry out standard operations using its largest warships. Nevertheless, it was noted that Tehran retains the option to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.
The full scope of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes said to be continuing. Pictures also indicates widespread destruction to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.
Numerous of non-military structures also appear to have been hit in the capital city and throughout the country since the hostilities started. Reports of deaths from local officials indicate that many hundreds of civilians may have been killed in the strikes.
Amid continuing hostilities, review of aerial photographs will continue to document the changing battlefield picture.