Orbital Pictures Reveal Iran's Navy and Atomic Sites Hit by American and Israeli Attacks.
A wave of US and Israeli strikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged no fewer than eleven Iran's navy ships since the weekend, new aerial photos reveal, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also being targeted.
Pictures of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the main command of the Iran's naval force, reveal smoke billowing from a number of vessels on recent days.
Maritime Fleet Incurred Significant Losses
Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had been used as a drone carrier. Satellite images displayed dark plumes rising from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence assessments suggest that no fewer than a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Pictures of the south end of the port show smoke emanating from the IRINS Makran, while two other vessels appear to be harmed, with one of them clearly on fire.
At Konarak, images reveal several harmed ships, with expert review identifying strikes against a half-dozen warships. Images taken on Monday also show that multiple facilities at the base have been destroyed.
"For a long time the Tehran government has disrupted global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command stated. "Now, there is not one Iranian ship operational in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."
Some ships allegedly sunk may have been hidden in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts suggested that an Iranian vessel was foundering near Sri Lankan waters, resulting in a search and rescue mission.
Rocket Bases and Nuclear Locations Attacked
The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the hindering of nuclear weapons development were listed as further goals of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also showed impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were hit.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site west of Kermanshah, extensive damage was observed to warehouses, bunkers and drone launch equipment.
Damage was also observed at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, near the border with neighboring nations.
Significantly, the new round of strikes have reportedly targeted installations at the Natanz complex – considered at the heart of the country's nuclear programme. An international watchdog stated that the affected structures were used for entry to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was anticipated.
Broader Fallout and Assessment
Military analysts stated that the strikes appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval capability to carry out conventional attacks using its largest warships. However, it was stressed that Tehran still has the capacity to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.
The overall scope of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes reportedly persisting. Imagery also reveals considerable destruction to the command center of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.
A large number of public facilities also are reported to have been damaged in the capital and across the country since the fighting began. Toll estimates from local officials indicate that a high number of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.
Amid continuing hostilities, review of aerial photographs will continue to assess the changing military landscape.