Orbital Pictures Show Iranian Navy and Atomic Facilities Targeted by Joint US and Israeli Airstrikes.
A wave of joint attacks has allegedly sunk or crippled at least 11 Iranian naval vessels since the weekend, new orbital imagery demonstrate, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also coming under fire.
Images of the southerly Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the main command of the Iranian navy, show black smoke pouring from several ships on the start of the week.
Naval Assets Incurred Substantial Losses
Among the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's most sizable ship which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Satellite images indicated black smoke pouring from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence evaluations suggest that at least a quintet of warships at the port were "hit or sunk". Photos of the southern end of the harbor show plumes ascending from the Makran, while additional vessels seem to be damaged, with one visibly ablaze.
Over at the Konarak base, photos reveal numerous harmed ships, with analysis identifying damage to six vessels. Pictures from the start of the week also show that a number of structures at the base have been leveled.
"For decades the Iran's leadership has harassed international shipping," an American commander said. "Today, there is not one Iranian vessel operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."
A number of vessels reportedly destroyed may have been concealed in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports indicated that a ship from Iran was sinking off the coast of Sri Lankan territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation.
Missile Sites and Atomic Locations Attacked
Eliminating Tehran's launch facilities and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were stated as further objectives of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also showed damage at the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were targeted.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base to the west of Kermanshah, significant damage was seen to warehouses, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.
Impact was also observed at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern Iran, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Of particular note, the most recent series of attacks have reportedly focused on sites at Natanz – long said to be at the core of the country's atomic program. An international watchdog stated that the damaged buildings were used for access to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.
Broader Fallout and Assessment
Military analysts stated that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval ability to conduct traditional warfare using its biggest vessels. Nevertheless, it was stressed that Iran still has the capacity to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, mini-submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.
The overall extent of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities is still uncertain, with hostilities reportedly persisting. Pictures also shows widespread damage to the command center of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.
A large number of public facilities also are reported to have been struck in the capital and across the country after the conflict escalated. Toll estimates from local officials suggest that many hundreds of civilians may have been lost their lives in the strikes.
Amid continuing hostilities, analysis of satellite imagery will carry on to document the changing military landscape.