Space-Based Imagery Show Iranian Navy and Atomic Sites Hit by US-Israeli Strikes.
A series of US and Israeli strikes has reportedly destroyed or damaged at least 11 warships belonging to Iran since the weekend, new satellite images demonstrate, with missile bases and nuclear sites also coming under fire.
Images of the southerly Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the main command of the Iran's naval force, show plumes of smoke rising from a number of warships on Monday and Tuesday.
Naval Fleet Sustained Substantial Losses
Among the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had been used as a drone carrier. Satellite images indicated dark plumes rising from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Intelligence assessments indicate that no fewer than five ships at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Photos of the southern end of the port show smoke emanating from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of vessels appear to be impacted, with one of them clearly on fire.
Over at the Konarak base, photos reveal numerous stricken vessels, with intelligence reports pointing to damage to six vessels. Pictures taken on Monday also show that a number of structures at the installation have been leveled.
"For many years the Iran's leadership has harassed commercial vessels," a senior US military official stated. "Now, there is not one Iranian ship at sea in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."
Some vessels allegedly destroyed may have been concealed in satellite images by haze or plumes, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts indicated that one Iranian ship was sinking near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.
Missile Installations and Nuclear Locations Hit
Neutralizing Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were listed as other objectives of the military strikes. Aerial imagery also showed impacts against the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were targeted.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone base west of Kermanshah, extensive destruction was seen to storage buildings, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.
Damage was also observed at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with neighboring nations.
Of particular note, the latest wave of attacks have reportedly hit sites at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the core of the country's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the damaged buildings were used for access to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was likely.
Wider Impact and Analysis
Defense experts indicated that the strikes appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's capacity to sustain standard operations using its most significant vessels. But, it was stressed that Iran retains the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.
The total extent of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities remains unclear, with strikes said to be continuing. Photos also shows considerable damage to the command center of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.
Numerous of non-military structures also are reported to have been hit in the capital city and throughout Iran since the hostilities escalated. Casualty figures from local officials state that a high number of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the attacks.
Amid continuing hostilities, review of aerial photographs will carry on to document the unfolding scope of damage.