Satellite Imagery Indicate Iran's Navy and Nuclear Facilities Struck by US-Israeli Strikes.
A wave of US and Israeli airstrikes has allegedly sunk or crippled at least 11 warships belonging to Iran starting the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos reveal, with missile bases and nuclear sites also coming under fire.
Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal black smoke pouring from several ships on recent days.
Maritime Fleet Incurred Major Damage
Included in the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had been used as a drone carrier. Satellite images indicated dark plumes pouring from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Analytical reports indicate that no fewer than a quintet of warships at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Imagery of the southern end of the port reveal smoke rising from the Makran, while another pair of ships are visibly harmed, with one clearly on fire.
Over at Konarak, photos show numerous damaged vessels, with analysis pointing to impacts on six vessels. Pictures taken on the start of the week also demonstrate that a number of buildings at the installation have been leveled.
"For a long time the Iranian regime has disrupted global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command declared. "Now, there is not one vessel from Iran at sea in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."
A number of ships allegedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports stated that an Iranian vessel was foundering near Sri Lanka's waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.
Rocket Installations and Nuclear Locations Hit
Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the stopping nuclear weapons development were listed as further objectives of the offensive. Aerial imagery also showed strikes on the southerly Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were struck.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone base west of Kermanshah, widespread damage was observed to sheds, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.
Damage was also noted at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern parts of the country, close to the border with neighboring nations.
Of particular note, the most recent series of strikes have reportedly focused on sites at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the core of Iran's enrichment efforts. An international watchdog said that the damaged structures were used for access to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was likely.
Broader Fallout and Assessment
Observers indicated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval capacity to conduct traditional warfare using its most significant warships. But, it was noted that Iran maintains the capacity to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.
The full extent of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure is still uncertain, with strikes reportedly ongoing. Pictures also shows extensive damage to the main offices of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.
Numerous of public facilities also seem to have been damaged in the capital city and throughout the country since the fighting started. Toll estimates from ground sources suggest that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the strikes.
Amid continuing hostilities, analysis of satellite imagery will carry on to track the unfolding scope of damage.