Satellite Images Show Iran's Navy and Nuclear Locations Damaged by American and Israeli Airstrikes.
Multiple US and Israeli attacks has according to analysis sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 warships belonging to Iran since Saturday, freshly analyzed orbital imagery reveal, with rocket sites and enrichment plants also being targeted.
Photographs of the southern Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the strategic Hormuz Strait and is home to the main command of the Iran's naval force, reveal plumes of smoke rising from several ships on the start of the week.
Naval Fleet Sustained Major Damage
Among the vessels destroyed was the Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had functioned as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery showed thick smoke pouring from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.
Analytical assessments suggest that no fewer than five ships at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Photos of the south end of the port reveal smoke rising from the Makran, while another pair of vessels are visibly damaged, with one visibly ablaze.
At the Konarak base, images display several damaged vessels, with intelligence reports pointing to damage to six ships. Images taken on the start of the week also demonstrate that several structures at the installation have been demolished.
"For a long time the Iran's leadership has harassed international shipping," the head of US Central Command stated. "Now, there is not one Iranian ship operational in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."
Some ships reportedly destroyed may have been hidden in aerial photos by haze or plumes, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports stated that a ship from Iran was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, resulting in a search and rescue mission.
Rocket Installations and Atomic Facilities Hit
Eliminating Iran's rocket sites and the hindering of nuclear weapons development were declared as additional objectives of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also depicted strikes on the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were struck.
At the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility to the west of Kermanshah, extensive destruction was observed to storage buildings, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.
Destruction was also seen at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern Iran, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Of particular note, the new round of attacks have reportedly focused on facilities at the Natanz complex – considered at the core of Iran's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body commented that the damaged structures were used for access to the site's underground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.
Broader Impact and Assessment
Defense experts indicated that the offensive appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval ability to conduct conventional attacks using its most significant warships. But, it was emphasised that Tehran retains the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.
The overall extent of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks reportedly continuing. Pictures also shows considerable damage to the main offices of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.
A large number of civilian buildings also seem to have been hit in the capital city and throughout Iran since the conflict started. Toll estimates from local officials indicate that hundreds of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.
As the situation develops, analysis of satellite imagery will persist to track the changing military landscape.