Aerial Pictures Indicate Iranian Navy and Nuclear Locations Targeted by Joint US and Israeli Strikes.
Multiple joint strikes has allegedly sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 Iran's navy ships since the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos show, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also coming under fire.
Photographs of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and houses the main command of the Iranian navy, reveal black smoke pouring from a number of vessels on the start of the week.
Maritime Fleet Incurred Significant Losses
Included in the vessels destroyed was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had been used as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery displayed dark plumes rising from the ship which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Intelligence reports indicate that no fewer than five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the south end of the harbor depict smoke emanating from the IRINS Makran, while two other ships seem to be damaged, with one seen burning.
At the Konarak base, images reveal numerous harmed ships, with expert review pointing to damage to six ships. Images from Monday also show that several structures at the installation have been demolished.
"For many years the Tehran government has threatened commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command said. "At present, there is no vessel from Iran at sea in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."
A number of ships reportedly sunk may have been obscured in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports suggested that an Iranian vessel was going down off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.
Rocket Sites and Nuclear Facilities Attacked
Neutralizing Iranian missile bases and the prevention of enrichment activities were stated as further goals of the air campaign. Satellite images also showed damage at the southerly Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where rocket warehouses and fortifications were hit.
At the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility west of Kermanshah, significant damage was observed to storage buildings, bunkers and drone launch equipment.
Damage was also observed at a surveillance station at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, close to the border with neighboring nations.
Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have apparently focused on facilities at Natanz – considered at the core of Iran's atomic program. A global monitoring agency commented that the damaged structures were used for access to the site's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was likely.
Broader Consequences and Assessment
Observers stated that the attacks appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capacity to sustain standard operations using its largest vessels. But, it was stressed that Tehran still has the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, mini-submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of oil ships.
The full scale of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure is still uncertain, with attacks reportedly continuing. Imagery also reveals extensive damage to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.
A large number of non-military structures also seem to have been struck in the capital city and throughout the country after the conflict started. Reports of deaths from ground sources suggest that many hundreds of civilians may have been fatally injured in the strikes.
Amid continuing hostilities, review of aerial photographs will continue to document the changing military landscape.