Aerial Photographs Indicate Iranian Navy and Nuclear Locations Hit by Joint US and Israeli Military Action.
A series of US and Israeli strikes has allegedly destroyed or damaged no fewer than eleven warships belonging to Iran starting the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos show, with missile bases and atomic facilities also being targeted.
Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iranian navy, depict black smoke pouring from a number of vessels on the start of the week.
Naval Assets Sustained Substantial Damage
Among the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Satellite images indicated thick smoke emanating 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 "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern part of the port reveal plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of vessels seem to be damaged, with a single one clearly on fire.
Over at Konarak, photos display several stricken vessels, with intelligence reports pointing to damage to six vessels. Photos from Monday also demonstrate that a number of buildings at the base have been destroyed.
"For many years the Iranian regime has threatened commercial vessels," an American commander declared. "At present, there is not one Iranian vessel at sea in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."
Some ships allegedly destroyed may have been hidden in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Additional information suggested that one Iranian ship was going down near Sri Lankan territorial waters, leading to a rescue operation.
Missile Sites and Nuclear Locations Attacked
Neutralizing Iranian missile bases and the stopping enrichment activities were listed as other aims of the offensive. Satellite images also showed impacts against the southerly Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were hit.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base to the west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was identified to warehouses, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.
Destruction was also observed at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, close to the border with neighboring nations.
Of particular note, the new round of attacks have apparently targeted installations at Natanz – widely believed to be at the heart of Iran's atomic program. An international watchdog stated that the damaged structures were used for entry to the site's underground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was anticipated.
Broader Consequences and Assessment
Observers indicated that the offensive appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's ability to carry out standard operations using its biggest vessels. Nevertheless, it was stressed that Iran retains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.
The overall extent of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities is still uncertain, with strikes reportedly ongoing. Photos also shows widespread destruction to the main offices of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.
A large number of civilian buildings also are reported to have been hit in the capital city and across the country after the fighting began. Casualty figures from ground sources state that hundreds of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the attacks.
Amid continuing hostilities, monitoring of aerial photographs will persist to track the changing military landscape.