Space-Based Pictures Indicate Iranian Naval Forces and Atomic Sites Targeted by American and Israeli Strikes.
A wave of US and Israeli attacks has allegedly eliminated or harmed at least 11 Iran's navy ships since Saturday, new satellite images demonstrate, with missile bases and nuclear sites also being targeted.
Photographs of the southern Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal black smoke pouring from a number of vessels on Monday and Tuesday.
Naval Fleet Sustained Significant Losses
Among the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's most sizable ship which had been used as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery displayed black smoke emanating from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Analytical reports suggest that no fewer than five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the south end of the port reveal smoke emanating from the Makran, while another pair of vessels appear to be harmed, with a single one clearly on fire.
Over at the Konarak base, images show numerous harmed ships, with analysis pointing to strikes against six ships. Pictures taken on Monday also show that several facilities at the installation have been leveled.
"For a long time the Iran's leadership has disrupted international shipping," the head of US Central Command stated. "Now, there is not one Iranian vessel at sea in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."
A number of ships reportedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by haze or plumes, or struck at sea, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts indicated that one Iranian ship was sinking near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, leading to a rescue operation.
Missile Installations and Atomic Locations Targeted
Eliminating Tehran's launch facilities and the stopping atomic bomb programs were stated as other objectives of the military strikes. Aerial imagery also showed strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were hit.
At the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was seen to sheds, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.
Impact was also observed at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with neighboring nations.
Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have reportedly targeted installations at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the center of the country's atomic program. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the affected structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was likely.
Wider Consequences and Analysis
Military analysts stated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval ability to conduct traditional warfare using its largest vessels. However, it was noted that Tehran still has the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mini-submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.
The overall extent of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure is still uncertain, with attacks said to be continuing. Photos also reveals widespread damage to the command center of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.
A large number of non-military structures also appear to have been struck in the capital and across Iran since the conflict started. Reports of deaths from local officials indicate that hundreds of civilians may have been lost their lives in the attacks.
With the conflict ongoing, analysis of aerial photographs will carry on to assess the evolving military landscape.