Satellite Imagery Depict Iranian Navy and Atomic Locations Hit by American and Israeli Airstrikes.
Multiple American and Israeli strikes has according to analysis sunk or crippled at least 11 Iran's navy ships since the weekend, new satellite images demonstrate, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also being targeted.
Images of the southerly Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the main command of the Iran's naval force, show smoke billowing from multiple ships on recent days.
Naval Fleet Incurred Significant Losses
Among the vessels destroyed was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Orbital photos showed thick smoke emanating from the ship which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence assessments indicate that no fewer than five ships at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Pictures of the south end of the port reveal plumes ascending from the Makran, while two other vessels seem to be damaged, with one seen burning.
At Konarak, images reveal numerous stricken vessels, with expert review identifying impacts on six vessels. Pictures from Monday also show that a number of buildings at the base have been leveled.
"For a long time the Iranian regime has disrupted international shipping," an American commander said. "At present, there is not one Iranian vessel at sea in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."
Some ships allegedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports stated that one Iranian ship was foundering near Sri Lanka's waters, prompting a rescue operation.
Rocket Bases and Atomic Facilities Hit
Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the stopping atomic bomb programs were declared as further objectives of the military strikes. Satellite images also revealed strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were targeted.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site to the west of Kermanshah, significant destruction was observed to sheds, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.
Impact was also observed at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern Iran, near the frontier with neighboring nations.
Perhaps most notably, the latest wave of strikes have reportedly hit facilities at the Natanz complex – long said to be at the center of Iran's nuclear programme. An international watchdog said that the affected structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was anticipated.
Wider Consequences and Analysis
Military analysts suggested that the offensive appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval capability to carry out standard operations using its biggest vessels. But, it was noted that Tehran retains the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.
The full extent of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with hostilities said to be continuing. Imagery also indicates considerable damage to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.
A significant number of non-military structures also seem to have been damaged in the capital city and throughout the country since the conflict started. Casualty figures from ground sources state that many hundreds of civilians may have been killed in the attacks.
Amid continuing hostilities, analysis of aerial photographs will persist to document the unfolding battlefield picture.