Satellite Images Indicate Iran's Naval Forces and Nuclear Sites Targeted by Joint US and Israeli Strikes.
A series of American and Israeli strikes has allegedly destroyed or damaged no fewer than eleven Iran's navy ships since the weekend, freshly analyzed aerial photos show, with missile bases and atomic facilities also coming under fire.
Photographs of the southern Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the strategic Hormuz Strait and is home to the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal smoke billowing from several ships on the start of the week.
Maritime Assets Sustained Significant Damage
Included in the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's most sizable ship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Orbital photos displayed black smoke emanating from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence reports state that at least five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern end of the harbor reveal plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while additional ships seem to be damaged, with one clearly on fire.
Over at Konarak, photos reveal several stricken ships, with expert review identifying impacts on six vessels. Photos from Monday also show that multiple structures at the installation have been leveled.
"For decades the Iran's leadership has harassed commercial vessels," an American commander declared. "At present, there is not one vessel from Iran at sea in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."
Some vessels reportedly sunk may have been concealed in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or targeted offshore, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts suggested that a ship from Iran was going down near Sri Lanka's waters, prompting a rescue operation.
Rocket Installations and Atomic Locations Hit
The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the hindering of enrichment activities were stated as further aims of the offensive. Satellite images also depicted strikes on the southerly Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were hit.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone base to the west of the city of Kermanshah, significant damage was seen to storage buildings, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.
Damage was also observed at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern Iran, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Of particular note, the new round of attacks have apparently hit sites at Natanz – widely believed to be at the heart of Iran's atomic program. An international watchdog stated that the affected structures were used for access to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was anticipated.
Wider Fallout and Assessment
Observers indicated that the strikes appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval capability to conduct standard operations using its largest vessels. Nevertheless, it was noted that Iran maintains the ability to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.
The full scope of the destruction caused to Iranian military facilities remains unclear, with hostilities reportedly persisting. Photos also indicates widespread damage to the main offices of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.
A significant number of non-military structures also are reported to have been struck in the capital and throughout the country after the conflict started. Reports of deaths from ground sources indicate that many hundreds of civilians may have been killed in the strikes.
Amid continuing hostilities, review of satellite imagery will continue to track the evolving battlefield picture.