Aerial Pictures Show Iranian Navy and Atomic Facilities Targeted by US-Israeli Attacks.

A wave of US and Israeli airstrikes has according to analysis eliminated or harmed a minimum of 11 Iranian naval vessels since Saturday, new aerial photos reveal, with missile bases and nuclear sites also being targeted.

Pictures of the southerly Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and is home to the main command of the Iranian navy, show smoke billowing from multiple ships on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Fleet Sustained Major Damage

Among the targets eliminated was the Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos indicated thick smoke emanating from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence reports suggest that at least a quintet of warships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the southern part of the port depict smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of ships appear to be damaged, with one of them visibly ablaze.

At Konarak, photos display numerous harmed ships, with expert review identifying strikes against six ships. Images taken on the start of the week also show that a number of structures at the base have been destroyed.

"For many years the Iran's leadership has harassed commercial vessels," a senior US military official declared. "Now, there is not a single Iranian vessel operational in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will continue."

A number of vessels reportedly destroyed may have been obscured in satellite images by haze or plumes, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts indicated that an Iranian vessel was foundering near Sri Lankan territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Nuclear Facilities Targeted

Eliminating Tehran's launch facilities and the stopping enrichment activities were declared as additional goals of the military strikes. Satellite images also revealed damage at the southern Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were hit.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site west of Kermanshah, extensive damage was identified to warehouses, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.

Destruction was also observed at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Perhaps most notably, the latest wave of attacks have apparently targeted facilities at the Natanz complex – considered at the core of Iran's atomic program. A global monitoring agency said that the affected buildings were used for entry to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was expected.

Wider Fallout and Assessment

Observers suggested that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's capacity to carry out conventional attacks using its most significant warships. But, it was emphasised that Tehran still has the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.

The overall scale of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks reportedly persisting. Photos also indicates widespread destruction to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.

A significant number of public facilities also appear to have been hit in the capital and throughout the country after the fighting began. Toll estimates from local officials suggest that hundreds of civilians may have been fatally injured in the strikes.

As the situation develops, analysis of satellite imagery will continue to track the unfolding military landscape.

Ashley Heath
Ashley Heath

A former casino consultant turned gaming blogger, sharing insider knowledge to help players maximize their enjoyment and success.