Orbital Pictures Show Iranian Navy and Atomic Sites Hit by American and Israeli Military Action.
Multiple US and Israeli airstrikes has according to analysis eliminated or harmed at least eleven warships belonging to Iran since Saturday, recently obtained satellite images show, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also coming under fire.
Images of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the strategic Hormuz Strait and houses the main command of the Iran's naval force, reveal black smoke pouring from multiple warships on recent days.
Naval Fleet Incurred Significant Losses
Included in the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had been used as a drone carrier. Orbital photos showed black smoke rising from the vessel which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence assessments state that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Imagery of the southern end of the harbor reveal smoke rising from the Makran, while two other vessels seem to be damaged, with one clearly on fire.
Over at the Konarak base, photos display numerous damaged ships, with expert review identifying damage to six ships. Pictures from Monday also indicate that several facilities at the installation have been demolished.
"For many years the Iran's leadership has threatened international shipping," a senior US military official declared. "Today, there is no Iranian ship operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."
A number of ships allegedly sunk may have been hidden in aerial photos by haze or plumes, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts indicated that one Iranian ship was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, resulting in a rescue operation.
Missile Bases and Nuclear Facilities Hit
The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the stopping enrichment activities were listed as additional goals of the military strikes. Aerial imagery also revealed strikes on the southern Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were hit.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone UAV facility west of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was seen to sheds, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.
Destruction was also observed at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern Iran, near the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Perhaps most notably, the latest wave of strikes have reportedly focused on sites at Natanz – widely believed to be at the core of the country's enrichment efforts. A global monitoring agency commented that the affected structures were used for access to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was likely.
Broader Consequences and Assessment
Observers indicated that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's capability to conduct conventional attacks using its biggest vessels. But, it was noted that Iran maintains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.
The full extent of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks reportedly persisting. Pictures also shows widespread destruction to the main offices of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.
A large number of public facilities also appear to have been hit in the capital city and throughout Iran since the fighting escalated. Casualty figures from inside Iran suggest that a high number of civilians may have been killed in the bombardment.
With the conflict ongoing, monitoring of space-based data will continue to assess the unfolding military landscape.