Orbital Images Show Iran's Navy and Atomic Facilities Damaged by American and Israeli Attacks.
Multiple US and Israeli attacks has reportedly destroyed or damaged a minimum of 11 warships belonging to Iran since Saturday, new orbital imagery show, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also being targeted.
Images of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iranian navy, reveal smoke billowing from multiple warships on recent days.
Maritime Fleet Sustained Significant Damage
Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, the country's biggest warship which had functioned as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Satellite images showed black smoke pouring from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Intelligence assessments state that no fewer than five vessels at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Pictures of the south end of the harbor depict plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while additional ships seem to be harmed, with one seen burning.
At the Konarak base, photos show several damaged vessels, with analysis pointing to strikes against six ships. Photos from Monday also indicate that a number of structures at the base have been demolished.
"For decades the Iran's leadership has threatened commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command said. "Today, there is not one Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."
A number of ships allegedly sunk may have been obscured in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts indicated that one Iranian ship was going down off the coast of Sri Lankan waters, prompting a rescue operation.
Missile Bases and Nuclear Facilities Attacked
The destruction of Tehran's launch facilities and the stopping atomic bomb programs were stated as additional objectives of the air campaign. Satellite images also depicted strikes on the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were struck.
At the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility to the west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was seen to warehouses, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.
Destruction was also noted at a radar site at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Of particular note, the latest wave of strikes have reportedly hit facilities at Natanz – widely believed to be at the heart of Iran's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the damaged buildings were used for access to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was likely.
Wider Impact and Assessment
Military analysts stated that the offensive appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capability to sustain traditional warfare using its biggest vessels. But, it was noted that Tehran still has the option to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.
The total scope of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes reportedly persisting. Photos also reveals widespread damage to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.
A significant number of civilian buildings also seem to have been struck in the capital and throughout Iran after the hostilities started. Toll estimates from ground sources indicate that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the strikes.
With the conflict ongoing, review of satellite imagery will carry on to track the changing scope of damage.