Satellite Imagery Show Iranian Naval Forces and Nuclear Sites Targeted by US-Israeli Attacks.
A wave of American and Israeli strikes has reportedly destroyed or damaged no fewer than eleven warships belonging to Iran since the weekend, recently obtained satellite images show, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also being targeted.
Images of the southern Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas facility, which is located on the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show plumes of smoke rising from several ships on recent days.
Naval Fleet Incurred Substantial Losses
Included in the targets eliminated was the Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery showed dark plumes rising from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Intelligence reports indicate that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Pictures of the southern part of the harbor show smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while two other ships are visibly damaged, with one clearly on fire.
At Konarak, images show several harmed vessels, with expert review identifying strikes against a half-dozen warships. Photos from the start of the week also demonstrate that a number of facilities at the installation have been destroyed.
"For a long time the Iran's leadership has threatened global maritime traffic," a senior US military official stated. "At present, there is no Iranian ship at sea in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."
Some ships reportedly destroyed may have been obscured in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or hit in open waters, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports stated that an Iranian vessel was foundering off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, resulting in a search and rescue mission.
Missile Sites and Atomic Locations Attacked
The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the stopping enrichment activities were declared as additional goals of the offensive. Aerial imagery also showed strikes on the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were hit.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive destruction was identified to warehouses, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.
Damage was also noted at a surveillance station at the Zahedan military airport in eastern Iran, close to the border with neighboring nations.
Of particular note, the new round of attacks have reportedly targeted facilities at the Natanz complex – considered at the center of Iran's atomic program. The UN's atomic energy body commented that the affected buildings were used for access to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.
Broader Impact and Analysis
Military analysts indicated that the offensive appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval ability to sustain standard operations using its largest warships. But, it was stressed that Iran still has the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mini-submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.
The full scope of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes reportedly ongoing. Pictures also indicates extensive destruction to the main offices of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.
A large number of civilian buildings also appear to have been struck in the capital city and throughout the country since the hostilities started. Toll estimates from local officials indicate that a high number of non-combatants may have been killed in the strikes.
Amid continuing hostilities, review of satellite imagery will carry on to track the evolving battlefield picture.