Aerial Pictures Reveal Iran's Naval Forces and Nuclear Locations Targeted by Joint US and Israeli Airstrikes.
A series of US and Israeli attacks has according to analysis sunk or crippled at least 11 Iran's navy ships since Saturday, new orbital imagery show, with missile bases and enrichment plants also coming under fire.
Pictures of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, depict plumes of smoke rising from several ships on recent days.
Naval Assets Sustained Significant Damage
Included in the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had functioned as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery displayed black smoke rising from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.
Analytical reports indicate that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Imagery of the southern end of the harbor reveal smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while additional vessels appear to be harmed, with one seen burning.
Over at Konarak, photos reveal multiple damaged ships, with analysis pointing to strikes against six ships. Photos taken on the start of the week also demonstrate that several buildings at the base have been demolished.
"For a long time the Iran's leadership has disrupted global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command declared. "Now, there is not one Iranian vessel underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."
A number of ships reportedly destroyed may have been hidden in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have not been independently verified. Separate reports indicated that a ship from Iran was going down near Sri Lankan waters, leading to a rescue operation.
Rocket Installations and Nuclear Facilities Hit
Eliminating Tehran's launch facilities and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were declared as additional objectives of the air campaign. Satellite images also revealed strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were struck.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was identified to sheds, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.
Destruction was also observed at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the border with neighboring nations.
Of particular note, the new round of attacks have reportedly targeted sites at Natanz – widely believed to be at the center of the country's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body said that the affected buildings were used for entry to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.
Broader Impact and Assessment
Defense experts suggested that the offensive appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval capability to sustain traditional warfare using its largest vessels. But, it was emphasised that Iran maintains the capacity to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.
The overall scale of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks said to be ongoing. Photos also reveals considerable destruction to the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.
A significant number of civilian buildings also appear to have been damaged in the capital city and across Iran after the conflict began. Toll estimates from inside Iran state that a high number of non-combatants may have been killed in the bombardment.
As the situation develops, analysis of satellite imagery will carry on to assess the changing battlefield picture.