Space-Based Pictures Reveal Iranian Navy and Atomic Locations Struck by Joint US and Israeli Strikes.
A wave of American and Israeli airstrikes has reportedly destroyed or damaged no fewer than 11 Iran's navy ships starting Saturday, recently obtained 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 port facility, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and contains the main command of the Iranian navy, reveal plumes of smoke rising from multiple warships on recent days.
Maritime Forces Sustained Substantial Losses
Among the vessels destroyed was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery indicated black smoke emanating from the vessel which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Intelligence reports indicate that no fewer than five ships at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Imagery of the southern part of the harbor reveal plumes ascending from the Makran, while additional vessels appear to be harmed, with one of them visibly ablaze.
At the Konarak base, photos show several damaged vessels, with expert review pointing to damage to six ships. Pictures taken on Monday also show that several facilities at the base have been destroyed.
"For many years the Iran's leadership has threatened global maritime traffic," a senior US military official said. "Now, there is not one Iranian vessel at sea in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will continue."
Some vessels allegedly destroyed may have been hidden in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports indicated that one Iranian ship was going down off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation.
Rocket Sites and Nuclear Facilities Targeted
Neutralizing Iranian missile bases and the hindering of nuclear weapons development were declared as further aims of the military strikes. Aerial imagery also revealed strikes on the southern Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were targeted.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was seen to warehouses, underground facilities and drone launch equipment.
Damage was also observed at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern Iran, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Of particular note, the most recent series of strikes have apparently focused on facilities at Natanz – considered at the core of the country's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body said that the damaged buildings were used for access to the site's underground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.
Wider Consequences and Assessment
Observers stated that the offensive appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capability to carry out standard operations using its most significant warships. Nevertheless, it was noted that Tehran maintains the ability to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.
The full extent of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities is still uncertain, with attacks said to be persisting. Pictures also indicates considerable damage to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the capital Tehran.
A significant number of public facilities also seem to have been damaged in the capital city and across the country after the fighting began. Toll estimates from local officials state that hundreds of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the attacks.
As the situation develops, review of satellite imagery will carry on to assess the changing scope of damage.