Space-Based Photographs Show Iran's Navy and Nuclear Locations Damaged by US-Israeli Strikes.

A wave of US and Israeli attacks has allegedly sunk or crippled no fewer than eleven Iran's navy ships since Saturday, new orbital imagery reveal, with rocket sites and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Photographs of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and houses the main command of the Iranian navy, depict smoke billowing from multiple warships on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Forces Sustained Major Damage

Among the vessels destroyed was the IRINS Makran, Iran's most sizable ship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Satellite images showed thick smoke emanating from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence reports state that at least five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Imagery of the southern end of the harbor depict smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while two other vessels seem to be damaged, with one of them seen burning.

Over at Konarak, photos display several damaged ships, with analysis identifying strikes against six vessels. Images from the start of the week also indicate that a number of buildings at the base have been destroyed.

"For many years the Iranian regime has threatened commercial vessels," an American commander stated. "Today, there is not a single vessel from Iran underway in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

A number of vessels reportedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports stated that a ship from Iran was going down near Sri Lankan waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Missile Sites and Atomic Locations Attacked

Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the hindering of nuclear weapons development were declared as additional goals of the military strikes. Satellite images also showed impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were hit.

At the Choqa Balk-e drone base to the west of Kermanshah, extensive damage was observed to warehouses, underground facilities and drone launch equipment.

Damage was also seen at a radar site at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with neighboring nations.

Perhaps most notably, the most recent series of attacks have apparently focused on sites at Natanz – widely believed to be at the core of Iran's atomic program. A global monitoring agency commented that the affected buildings were used for access to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was anticipated.

Wider Fallout and Assessment

Military analysts suggested that the attacks appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval capacity to sustain traditional warfare using its most significant vessels. Nevertheless, it was noted that Tehran still has the ability to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of oil ships.

The overall scope of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with hostilities said to be persisting. Photos also shows extensive damage to the main offices of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the capital Tehran.

A large number of civilian buildings also seem to have been struck in the capital city and throughout Iran since the hostilities began. Reports of deaths from ground sources suggest 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 assess the changing military landscape.

Sally Rodgers
Sally Rodgers

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