Orbital Images Reveal Iran's Naval Forces and Nuclear Locations Hit by US-Israeli Military Action.
A series of American and Israeli attacks has reportedly sunk or crippled no fewer than eleven warships belonging to Iran starting Saturday, recently obtained satellite images show, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also sustaining hits.
Images of the southern Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the main command of the Iranian navy, depict black smoke pouring from multiple ships on recent days.
Naval Assets Incurred Major Damage
Among the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had been used as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery showed black smoke rising from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.
Analytical evaluations suggest that at least a quintet of warships at the port were "hit or sunk". Pictures of the south end of the harbor reveal plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of ships appear to be impacted, with one seen burning.
At Konarak, photos reveal numerous harmed ships, with analysis pointing to impacts on six ships. Pictures from the start of the week also demonstrate that a number of buildings at the base have been destroyed.
"For a long time the Iranian regime has harassed global maritime traffic," a senior US military official said. "At present, there is not a single Iranian ship operational in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."
Some vessels allegedly sunk may have been concealed in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts stated that one Iranian ship was going down near Sri Lankan waters, resulting in a rescue operation.
Missile Bases and Atomic Locations Attacked
Neutralizing Iranian missile bases and the hindering of atomic bomb programs were declared as further objectives of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also revealed strikes on the southern Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were targeted.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base to the west of Kermanshah, significant damage was identified to sheds, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.
Damage was also seen at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern parts of the country, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have reportedly targeted facilities at the Natanz complex – considered at the heart of the country's atomic program. An international watchdog stated that the affected buildings were used for entry to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected.
Broader Fallout and Assessment
Observers stated that the strikes appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval capacity to conduct traditional warfare using its most significant vessels. But, it was noted that Tehran retains the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.
The full scope of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure is still uncertain, with hostilities said to be persisting. Imagery also shows considerable damage to the command center of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.
Numerous of civilian buildings also are reported to have been struck in the capital and throughout the country after the fighting started. Toll estimates from local officials suggest that a high number of non-combatants may have been killed in the strikes.
Amid continuing hostilities, review of space-based data will persist to assess the unfolding scope of damage.