Satellite Images Reveal Iranian Navy and Atomic Facilities Targeted by US-Israeli Attacks.
A wave of US and Israeli airstrikes has reportedly eliminated or harmed at least 11 Iranian naval vessels since the weekend, recently obtained satellite images show, with missile bases and atomic facilities also being targeted.
Pictures of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal plumes of smoke rising from a number of ships on recent days.
Maritime Forces Sustained Significant Losses
Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Satellite images displayed black smoke pouring from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence reports indicate that at least five vessels at the port were "hit or sunk". Pictures of the southern part of the harbor show smoke emanating from the Makran, while additional ships are visibly impacted, with one clearly on fire.
Over at the Konarak base, photos display multiple harmed vessels, with intelligence reports identifying impacts on six ships. Images from Monday also indicate that multiple structures at the installation have been demolished.
"For many years the Tehran government has disrupted international shipping," the head of US Central Command said. "Today, there is no Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."
A number of vessels reportedly sunk may have been hidden in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or targeted offshore, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Other accounts suggested that a ship from Iran was going down near Sri Lanka's waters, resulting in a rescue operation.
Rocket Sites and Nuclear Locations Attacked
Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the prevention of atomic bomb programs were listed as additional objectives of the military strikes. Satellite images also revealed damage at the southern Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were targeted.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base west of Kermanshah, significant destruction was observed to warehouses, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.
Impact was also noted at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern Iran, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Significantly, the new round of attacks have apparently hit sites at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the center of Iran's atomic program. An international watchdog stated that the damaged structures were used for entry to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected.
Broader Impact and Analysis
Observers suggested that the attacks appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval ability to carry out standard operations using its biggest warships. Nevertheless, it was stressed that Tehran retains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.
The total scale of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities is still uncertain, with attacks said to be persisting. Pictures also shows considerable destruction to the main offices of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.
A large number of civilian buildings also appear to have been damaged in the capital and throughout Iran after the fighting started. Casualty figures from inside Iran indicate that a high number of civilians may have been fatally injured in the attacks.
With the conflict ongoing, monitoring of satellite imagery will carry on to document the evolving scope of damage.