Satellite Photographs Indicate Iranian Navy and Nuclear Sites Damaged by US-Israeli Attacks.
A series of US and Israeli strikes has allegedly sunk or crippled a minimum of 11 Iran's navy ships since Saturday, recently obtained aerial photos demonstrate, with launch facilities and enrichment plants also being targeted.
Pictures of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the main command of the Iranian navy, reveal plumes of smoke rising from multiple warships on the start of the week.
Naval Forces Sustained Significant Damage
Among the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had served as a drone carrier. Satellite images showed black smoke rising from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Analytical evaluations state that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Pictures of the southern part of the harbor reveal plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while additional vessels appear to be impacted, with one clearly on fire.
Over at Konarak, images reveal numerous stricken vessels, with intelligence reports identifying strikes against a half-dozen warships. Images taken on Monday also demonstrate that a number of buildings at the installation have been destroyed.
"For decades the Iran's leadership has disrupted international shipping," an American commander stated. "At present, there is no Iranian vessel at sea in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."
Some vessels allegedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Additional information suggested that a ship from Iran was foundering near Sri Lankan territorial waters, prompting a rescue operation.
Missile Installations and Atomic Facilities Attacked
Eliminating Iran's rocket sites and the hindering of atomic bomb programs were stated as other goals of the air campaign. Satellite images also depicted strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were hit.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility to the west of Kermanshah, widespread damage was identified to storage buildings, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.
Destruction was also seen at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Of particular note, the most recent series of strikes have reportedly hit installations at Natanz – widely believed to be at the core of Iran's nuclear programme. A global monitoring agency stated that the affected buildings were used for access to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.
Wider Fallout and Analysis
Observers suggested that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval capacity to sustain standard operations using its largest warships. But, it was noted that Tehran still has the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.
The overall scale of the damage caused to Iran's defense infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks reportedly ongoing. Photos also indicates extensive destruction to the main offices of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.
A significant number of public facilities also are reported to have been struck in the capital and throughout Iran after the hostilities started. Casualty figures from local officials state that a high number of civilians may have been killed in the strikes.
Amid continuing hostilities, monitoring of satellite imagery will carry on to assess the changing military landscape.