Orbital Photographs Show Iranian Navy and Atomic Locations Hit by US-Israeli Attacks.
A series of US and Israeli airstrikes has allegedly sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 Iranian naval vessels starting Saturday, freshly analyzed orbital imagery demonstrate, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also coming under fire.
Images of the southerly Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show black smoke pouring from a number of ships on Monday and Tuesday.
Naval Fleet Sustained Major Losses
Included in the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery displayed black smoke pouring from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Analytical assessments indicate that no fewer than five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Photos of the south end of the port reveal smoke emanating from the IRINS Makran, while two other vessels seem to be harmed, with one seen burning.
Over at Konarak, images show numerous stricken ships, with expert review pointing to strikes against six ships. Pictures taken on the start of the week also indicate that multiple facilities at the installation have been leveled.
"For decades the Tehran government has threatened commercial vessels," an American commander said. "Now, there is no Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."
A number of ships allegedly sunk may have been concealed in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Additional information indicated that an Iranian vessel was sinking off the coast of Sri Lankan waters, prompting a rescue operation.
Missile Installations and Atomic Locations Targeted
The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the stopping nuclear weapons development were stated as further aims of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also showed strikes on the southerly Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were targeted.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone base to the west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive destruction was identified to warehouses, bunkers and drone launch equipment.
Destruction was also seen at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern Iran, close to the border with neighboring nations.
Of particular note, the latest wave of strikes have reportedly targeted sites at Natanz – long said to be at the heart of the country's atomic program. A global monitoring agency commented that the damaged buildings were used for access to the site's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was anticipated.
Wider Fallout and Assessment
Observers stated that the offensive appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval capability to sustain traditional warfare using its biggest warships. But, it was emphasised that Iran maintains the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, mini-submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.
The overall scope of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure is still uncertain, with hostilities reportedly persisting. Pictures also shows extensive destruction to the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.
A significant number of non-military structures also appear to have been hit in the capital and throughout Iran after the hostilities began. Casualty figures from inside Iran state that hundreds of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the bombardment.
As the situation develops, analysis of aerial photographs will carry on to document the unfolding battlefield picture.