Orbital Pictures Reveal Iran's Naval Forces and Atomic Facilities Struck by US-Israeli Attacks.
A wave of American and Israeli airstrikes has allegedly eliminated or harmed a minimum of 11 Iran's navy ships since Saturday, new satellite images show, with missile bases and nuclear sites also coming under fire.
Pictures of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the main command of the Iran's naval force, reveal smoke billowing from several warships on the start of the week.
Maritime Assets Sustained Significant Losses
Among the vessels destroyed was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had functioned as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery indicated black smoke pouring from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Analytical evaluations suggest that at least five ships at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Photos of the southern part of the port show plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while additional ships appear to be damaged, with one seen burning.
Over at the Konarak base, photos show numerous damaged vessels, with analysis identifying damage to six ships. Photos taken on the start of the week also indicate that several facilities at the base have been demolished.
"For many years the Iranian regime has disrupted international shipping," a senior US military official stated. "Now, there is no vessel from Iran underway in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."
Some ships reportedly sunk may have been hidden in satellite images by haze or plumes, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Additional information indicated that one Iranian ship was foundering off the coast of Sri Lankan territorial waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.
Rocket Installations and Nuclear Locations Attacked
Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the stopping nuclear weapons development were declared as additional objectives of the military strikes. Satellite images also revealed strikes on the southerly Khorgu and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were struck.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone base west of Kermanshah, extensive destruction was seen to storage buildings, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.
Impact was also seen at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, close to the border with neighboring nations.
Of particular note, the most recent series of strikes have apparently focused on installations at the Natanz complex – considered at the core of the country's nuclear programme. An international watchdog said that the affected buildings were used for access to the site's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was anticipated.
Wider Impact and Assessment
Defense experts indicated that the offensive appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's ability to sustain conventional attacks using its most significant vessels. However, it was noted that Tehran maintains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of oil ships.
The full scope of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with hostilities said to be persisting. Pictures also reveals extensive damage to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.
A large number of non-military structures also appear to have been damaged in the capital city and throughout the country since the fighting started. Casualty figures from inside Iran suggest that many hundreds of civilians may have been lost their lives in the attacks.
Amid continuing hostilities, monitoring of aerial photographs will carry on to track the evolving battlefield picture.