Aerial Images Indicate Iranian Naval Forces and Atomic Locations Struck by US-Israeli Attacks.
A series of US and Israeli strikes has reportedly sunk or crippled no fewer than eleven Iran's navy ships starting Saturday, new orbital imagery reveal, with launch facilities and atomic facilities also coming under fire.
Pictures of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal plumes of smoke rising from a number of warships on recent days.
Maritime Forces Incurred Significant Losses
Among the vessels destroyed was the IRINS Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery displayed black smoke pouring from the ship which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence reports suggest that at least five ships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Imagery of the southern part of the harbor depict smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while additional vessels appear to be damaged, with one of them seen burning.
Over at the Konarak base, images display numerous damaged vessels, with intelligence reports identifying strikes against a half-dozen warships. Images from the start of the week also demonstrate that multiple buildings at the base have been demolished.
"For decades the Iranian regime has harassed commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command said. "Today, there is no Iranian vessel at sea in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."
A number of ships reportedly destroyed may have been concealed in aerial photos by haze or plumes, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports suggested that an Iranian vessel was foundering near Sri Lankan waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.
Missile Sites and Nuclear Facilities Hit
Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the hindering of atomic bomb programs were stated as other objectives of the military strikes. Aerial imagery also depicted impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were hit.
At the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility to the west of Kermanshah, extensive destruction was identified to sheds, underground facilities and drone launch equipment.
Destruction was also noted at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Of particular note, the most recent series of strikes have reportedly focused on facilities at Natanz – widely believed to be at the heart of the country's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body said that the affected buildings were used for access to the site's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was anticipated.
Wider Fallout and Assessment
Observers stated that the offensive appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capability to carry out standard operations using its biggest warships. But, it was stressed that Tehran still has the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.
The overall extent of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks reportedly persisting. Pictures also indicates widespread damage to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.
A large number of civilian buildings also appear to have been hit in the capital and throughout Iran since the conflict started. Reports of deaths from ground sources indicate that many hundreds of civilians may have been killed in the attacks.
With the conflict ongoing, review of aerial photographs will persist to document the unfolding scope of damage.