Orbital Images Show Iran's Navy and Atomic Facilities Damaged by US-Israeli Strikes.
A wave of US and Israeli strikes has allegedly eliminated or harmed no fewer than eleven Iranian naval vessels starting the weekend, new orbital imagery reveal, with missile bases and atomic facilities also coming under fire.
Images of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and houses the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show plumes of smoke rising from several warships on recent days.
Maritime Forces Incurred Substantial Damage
Included in the vessels destroyed was the IRINS Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos displayed black smoke emanating from the ship which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence assessments state that no fewer than a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Pictures of the southern end of the harbor depict plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while additional ships seem to be impacted, with a single one visibly ablaze.
Over at the Konarak base, photos reveal multiple harmed ships, with expert review identifying impacts on a half-dozen warships. Photos taken on the start of the week also indicate that several structures at the installation have been destroyed.
"For decades the Tehran government has disrupted international shipping," a senior US military official declared. "Today, there is not one Iranian ship operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."
A number of vessels reportedly sunk may have been hidden in aerial photos by haze or plumes, or hit in open waters, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Other accounts suggested that an Iranian vessel was foundering off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, prompting a rescue operation.
Rocket Installations and Atomic Facilities Hit
The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the hindering of nuclear weapons development were declared as additional goals of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also depicted strikes on the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were struck.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site west of Kermanshah, extensive damage was seen to warehouses, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.
Damage was also seen at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with neighboring nations.
Significantly, the latest wave of strikes have reportedly hit installations at Natanz – long said to be at the center of the country's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body commented that the affected buildings were used for entry to the site's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.
Broader Fallout and Analysis
Observers indicated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval capability to conduct traditional warfare using its biggest warships. However, it was stressed that Tehran still has the capacity to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, mini-submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of oil ships.
The full extent of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure is still uncertain, with attacks said to be persisting. Pictures also shows extensive destruction to the main offices of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.
A large number of civilian buildings also are reported to have been damaged in the capital city and across the country since the hostilities started. Reports of deaths from inside Iran indicate that a high number of civilians may have been killed in the bombardment.
As the situation develops, review of satellite imagery will continue to document the evolving military landscape.