Space-Based Pictures Show Iran's Naval Forces and Atomic Facilities Targeted by Joint US and Israeli Attacks.
A wave of US and Israeli airstrikes has reportedly destroyed or damaged at least 11 warships belonging to Iran starting Saturday, new aerial photos show, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also being targeted.
Photographs of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iranian navy, depict plumes of smoke rising from multiple warships on the start of the week.
Maritime Forces Incurred Major Losses
Among the vessels destroyed was the IRINS Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos indicated dark plumes pouring from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Analytical evaluations suggest that no fewer than five ships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Imagery of the southern end of the harbor show plumes ascending from the Makran, while two other vessels are visibly impacted, with one visibly ablaze.
At Konarak, images show numerous damaged ships, with analysis pointing to impacts on six vessels. Images taken on Monday also show that multiple buildings at the installation have been destroyed.
"For many years the Tehran government has disrupted global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command stated. "Today, there is not a single Iranian vessel underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."
Some ships allegedly destroyed may have been obscured in satellite images by haze or plumes, or hit in open waters, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Additional information suggested that a ship from Iran was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, resulting in a rescue operation.
Missile Installations and Nuclear Facilities Attacked
Neutralizing Iran's rocket sites and the stopping enrichment activities were stated as further objectives of the air campaign. Satellite images also revealed strikes on the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were targeted.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive damage was observed to sheds, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.
Damage was also seen at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, close to the frontier with neighboring nations.
Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have reportedly hit sites at the Natanz complex – long said to be at the core of Iran's atomic program. An international watchdog stated that the affected buildings were used for access to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.
Broader Fallout and Analysis
Defense experts stated that the attacks appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval capacity to sustain standard operations using its largest vessels. But, it was stressed that Tehran still has the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.
The full extent of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities is still uncertain, with strikes reportedly persisting. Photos also shows extensive damage to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the capital Tehran.
Numerous of public facilities also appear to have been damaged in the capital city and throughout the country since the fighting began. Toll estimates from local officials suggest that a high number of civilians may have been lost their lives in the bombardment.
Amid continuing hostilities, review of space-based data will persist to track the unfolding battlefield picture.