Space-Based Pictures Show Iranian Naval Forces and Nuclear Locations Targeted by American and Israeli Attacks.
Multiple US and Israeli airstrikes has allegedly destroyed or damaged at least eleven warships belonging to Iran starting Saturday, freshly analyzed aerial photos demonstrate, with missile bases and atomic facilities also sustaining hits.
Pictures of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and houses the main command of the Iran's naval force, show black smoke pouring from a number of ships on recent days.
Naval Fleet Sustained Major Losses
Included in the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had been used as a drone carrier. Satellite images displayed dark plumes emanating from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Analytical evaluations state that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Photos of the south end of the port reveal plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of ships appear to be impacted, with one of them clearly on fire.
At the Konarak base, images display several stricken vessels, with analysis pointing to impacts on six ships. Images from the start of the week also demonstrate that several facilities at the base have been demolished.
"For many years the Iranian regime has disrupted global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command declared. "At present, there is not one Iranian vessel underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."
A number of ships reportedly destroyed may have been hidden in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Separate reports indicated that a ship from Iran was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation.
Missile Installations and Atomic Locations Attacked
Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the prevention of enrichment activities were listed as further aims of the offensive. Satellite images also revealed strikes on the southern Khorgu and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were targeted.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread damage was identified to storage buildings, underground facilities and drone launch equipment.
Destruction was also seen at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with neighboring nations.
Perhaps most notably, the most recent series of strikes have reportedly focused on facilities at the Natanz complex â considered at the heart of the country's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body commented that the damaged structures were used for entry to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was likely.
Broader Impact and Assessment
Defense experts indicated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capacity to sustain conventional attacks using its biggest vessels. However, it was noted that Iran retains the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.
The full extent of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks reportedly continuing. Imagery also reveals considerable destruction to the command center of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.
A large number of non-military structures also are reported to have been struck in the capital and throughout the country after the fighting started. Toll estimates from ground sources indicate that hundreds of civilians may have been lost their lives in the strikes.
As the situation develops, analysis of aerial photographs will continue to track the evolving battlefield picture.