Satellite Pictures Reveal Iran's Naval Forces and Nuclear Sites Damaged by US-Israeli Attacks.
A wave of joint strikes has allegedly destroyed or damaged no fewer than eleven Iran's navy ships since Saturday, new aerial photos demonstrate, with missile bases and atomic facilities also sustaining hits.
Pictures of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and contains the main command of the Iran's naval force, show black smoke pouring from multiple warships on the start of the week.
Maritime Forces Incurred Major Damage
Among the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Orbital photos showed thick smoke emanating from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.
Analytical reports indicate that no fewer than a quintet of warships at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Photos of the southern end of the harbor reveal smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of vessels seem to be damaged, with a single one seen burning.
At Konarak, images display numerous stricken vessels, with analysis pointing to strikes against a half-dozen warships. Photos taken on Monday also show that multiple structures at the base have been demolished.
"For decades the Iran's leadership has disrupted global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command said. "At present, there is not one Iranian ship at sea in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."
A number of vessels reportedly sunk may have been hidden in aerial photos by haze or plumes, or hit in open waters, and have not been independently verified. Separate reports stated that an Iranian vessel was foundering near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation.
Rocket Bases and Atomic Facilities Hit
Eliminating Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were listed as other goals of the military strikes. Aerial imagery also depicted impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and fortifications were targeted.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base west of the city of Kermanshah, significant damage was identified to warehouses, underground facilities and drone launch equipment.
Destruction was also seen at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with neighboring nations.
Of particular note, the most recent series of attacks have apparently targeted sites at the Natanz complex – considered at the core of the country's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body said that the damaged buildings were used for entry to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was expected.
Wider Fallout and Assessment
Observers suggested that the attacks appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capability to carry out conventional attacks using its largest vessels. But, it was stressed that Iran maintains the ability to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of oil ships.
The full extent of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks said to be persisting. Photos also indicates widespread destruction to the command center of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.
A large number of civilian buildings also appear to have been struck in the capital and throughout Iran since the conflict began. Toll estimates from ground sources indicate that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been killed in the attacks.
As the situation develops, monitoring of space-based data will persist to assess the unfolding battlefield picture.