Aerial Images Reveal Iran's Naval Forces and Atomic Sites Hit by American and Israeli Strikes.
A series of American and Israeli strikes has according to analysis sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 warships belonging to Iran starting the weekend, new orbital imagery reveal, with launch facilities and enrichment plants also sustaining hits.
Photographs of the southern Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal smoke billowing from several vessels on recent days.
Naval Assets Incurred Substantial Losses
Among the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Satellite images displayed dark plumes rising from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.
Analytical evaluations indicate that no fewer than five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Pictures of the southern part of the harbor depict smoke emanating from the Makran, while another pair of vessels seem to be damaged, with one visibly ablaze.
Over at Konarak, images show several harmed vessels, with analysis identifying damage to a half-dozen warships. Photos taken on the start of the week also show that several buildings at the installation have been destroyed.
"For decades the Iran's leadership has disrupted international shipping," the head of US Central Command stated. "At present, there is not one Iranian vessel operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."
A number of vessels allegedly sunk may have been concealed in aerial photos by haze or plumes, or hit in open waters, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts suggested that an Iranian vessel was sinking near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.
Missile Sites and Atomic Facilities Targeted
Eliminating Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of enrichment activities were stated as additional objectives of the air campaign. Satellite images also showed damage at the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were struck.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was identified to warehouses, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.
Damage was also noted at a radar site at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Of particular note, 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. An international watchdog said that the damaged buildings were used for access to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was likely.
Broader Consequences and Assessment
Defense experts suggested that the attacks appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's ability to carry out conventional attacks using its biggest vessels. However, it was stressed that Tehran still has the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.
The full scale of the destruction caused to Iran's defense facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks reportedly ongoing. Photos also indicates widespread destruction to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.
A significant number of civilian buildings also appear to have been hit in the capital city and throughout Iran after the fighting began. Toll estimates from inside Iran state that a high number of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the strikes.
As the situation develops, review of aerial photographs will persist to document the unfolding military landscape.