Aerial Imagery Reveal Iran's Naval Forces and Nuclear Locations Hit by US-Israeli Military Action.
Multiple American and Israeli airstrikes has according to analysis eliminated or harmed no fewer than 11 warships belonging to Iran since the weekend, new satellite images reveal, with missile bases and nuclear sites also sustaining hits.
Images of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the main command of the Iran's naval force, depict black smoke pouring from several vessels on the start of the week.
Naval Forces Sustained Major Losses
Included in the targets eliminated was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had served as a drone carrier. Satellite images showed black smoke emanating from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Analytical evaluations state that no fewer than a quintet of warships at the port were "hit or sunk". Pictures of the southern end of the port depict plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of vessels seem to be harmed, with a single one seen burning.
At Konarak, photos reveal multiple damaged ships, with expert review pointing to damage to a half-dozen warships. Pictures from the start of the week also indicate that a number of buildings at the base have been destroyed.
"For decades the Iranian regime has threatened commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command stated. "At present, there is not one vessel from Iran underway in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."
Some vessels allegedly destroyed may have been hidden in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports suggested that one Iranian ship was sinking near Sri Lankan waters, prompting a rescue operation.
Missile Installations and Atomic Locations Hit
The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the hindering of atomic bomb programs were stated as other goals of the military strikes. Satellite images also revealed damage at the southerly Khorgu and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were targeted.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base to the west of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was identified to sheds, underground facilities and drone launch equipment.
Damage was also observed at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern Iran, close to the border with neighboring nations.
Perhaps most notably, the new round of attacks have apparently hit installations at Natanz – long said to be at the center of Iran's enrichment efforts. A global monitoring agency commented that the damaged buildings were used for entry to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was likely.
Wider Fallout and Analysis
Observers stated that the attacks appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval capability to sustain standard operations using its most significant warships. But, it was emphasised that Iran still has the option to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.
The full scale of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks said to be persisting. Imagery also reveals extensive damage to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.
A large number of non-military structures also are reported to have been hit in the capital and throughout Iran since the hostilities escalated. Casualty figures from local officials indicate that a high number of civilians may have been fatally injured in the attacks.
With the conflict ongoing, review of aerial photographs will carry on to assess the evolving battlefield picture.