Aerial Photographs Reveal Iran's Naval Forces and Atomic Facilities Hit by American and Israeli Military Action.
Multiple American and Israeli attacks has according to analysis eliminated or harmed at least 11 Iran's navy ships starting the weekend, recently obtained satellite images demonstrate, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also sustaining hits.
Photographs of the southerly Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, show black smoke pouring from multiple warships on Monday and Tuesday.
Naval Forces Incurred Major Losses
Included in the vessels destroyed was the Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery showed black smoke pouring from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence evaluations indicate that no fewer than five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Imagery of the south end of the harbor show smoke emanating from the Makran, while additional vessels seem to be impacted, with one seen burning.
Over at Konarak, images display numerous damaged ships, with intelligence reports pointing to damage to a half-dozen warships. Images from the start of the week also show that multiple facilities at the installation have been leveled.
"For a long time the Iranian regime has harassed commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command said. "Today, there is not a single Iranian ship operational in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."
A number of vessels allegedly sunk may have been concealed in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports suggested that an Iranian vessel was going down off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation.
Rocket Bases and Nuclear Locations Targeted
Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the prevention of enrichment activities were listed as additional aims of the air campaign. Satellite images also depicted impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were hit.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base west of the city of Kermanshah, significant damage was identified to sheds, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.
Impact was also noted at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Perhaps most notably, the new round of attacks have reportedly hit installations at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the center of the country's enrichment efforts. An international watchdog commented that the affected buildings were used for access to the site's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was anticipated.
Broader Impact and Assessment
Observers indicated that the offensive appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval capacity to sustain conventional attacks using its largest vessels. However, it was stressed that Tehran still has the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, mini-submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.
The total scope of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes said to be persisting. Pictures also indicates considerable destruction to the main offices of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.
A large number of public facilities also seem to have been damaged in the capital and across Iran after the conflict escalated. Casualty figures from inside Iran indicate that a high number of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the attacks.
As the situation develops, review of satellite imagery will continue to assess the evolving battlefield picture.