Orbital Photographs Indicate Iran's Navy and Atomic Sites Struck by Joint US and Israeli Strikes.
A series of joint strikes has allegedly destroyed or damaged at least 11 Iranian naval vessels starting Saturday, recently obtained satellite images reveal, with launch facilities and atomic facilities also coming under fire.
Pictures of the southern Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which sits on the strategic Hormuz Strait and houses the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, show black smoke pouring from a number of vessels on the start of the week.
Maritime Assets Sustained Significant Damage
Among the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, the country's biggest warship which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Satellite images displayed black smoke pouring from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence evaluations state that no fewer than a quintet of warships at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Pictures of the south end of the port reveal smoke emanating from the Makran, while another pair of vessels seem to be damaged, with a single one seen burning.
At the Konarak base, images show multiple damaged vessels, with expert review pointing to strikes against a half-dozen warships. Photos from Monday also indicate that a number of facilities at the base have been leveled.
"For many years the Iranian regime has disrupted global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command stated. "Now, there is no Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."
A number of ships allegedly sunk may have been hidden in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Additional information stated that one Iranian ship was foundering off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, prompting a rescue operation.
Rocket Sites and Atomic Facilities Targeted
Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the prevention of enrichment activities were declared as other objectives of the military strikes. Satellite images also depicted impacts against the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were hit.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base west of Kermanshah, significant damage was seen to storage buildings, bunkers and drone launch equipment.
Impact was also noted at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with neighboring nations.
Significantly, the latest wave of strikes have reportedly hit installations at the Natanz complex – considered at the heart of the country's atomic program. An international watchdog said that the damaged structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.
Broader Fallout and Assessment
Military analysts indicated that the offensive appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval capability to conduct standard operations using its most significant warships. Nevertheless, it was stressed that Tehran still has the option 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 scale of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities is still uncertain, with attacks said to be ongoing. Imagery also indicates widespread destruction to the main offices of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.
A significant number of public facilities also appear to have been struck in the capital city and across the country after the hostilities escalated. Casualty figures from inside Iran suggest that a high number of civilians may have been killed in the strikes.
With the conflict ongoing, analysis of satellite imagery will carry on to assess the unfolding scope of damage.