Orbital Imagery Show Iranian Navy and Nuclear Facilities Damaged by Joint US and Israeli Attacks.

Multiple US and Israeli strikes has according to analysis eliminated or harmed no fewer than eleven warships belonging to Iran starting the weekend, freshly analyzed satellite images reveal, with missile bases and atomic facilities also being targeted.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, show plumes of smoke rising from multiple ships on the start of the week.

Naval Assets Sustained Major Losses

Among the vessels destroyed was the Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery displayed black smoke pouring from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence assessments state that no fewer than five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern part of the port reveal smoke emanating from the Makran, while two other ships are visibly harmed, with one seen burning.

Over at the Konarak base, photos display several stricken vessels, with analysis identifying impacts on six ships. Photos taken on the start of the week also show that several structures at the installation have been destroyed.

"For a long time the Tehran government has threatened global maritime traffic," a senior US military official said. "At present, there is not one Iranian vessel operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will continue."

Some vessels reportedly destroyed may have been obscured in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have not been conclusively proven. Additional information indicated that a ship from Iran was foundering near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Missile Installations and Atomic Facilities Attacked

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of enrichment activities were stated as additional aims of the military strikes. Satellite images also showed damage at the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were struck.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was observed to storage buildings, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.

Impact was also seen at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern Iran, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the most recent series of strikes have reportedly hit facilities at the Natanz complex – considered at the center of Iran's nuclear programme. A global monitoring agency said that the affected structures were used for access to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was anticipated.

Wider Impact and Assessment

Observers indicated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval capacity to carry out conventional attacks using its largest vessels. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Tehran retains the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.

The full scope of the destruction caused to Iranian military facilities is still uncertain, with strikes said to be persisting. Photos also indicates widespread destruction to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.

A significant number of non-military structures also seem to have been struck in the capital and across the country after the hostilities escalated. Casualty figures from local officials suggest that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the strikes.

Amid continuing hostilities, review of space-based data will carry on to document the changing battlefield picture.

Lisa Galloway
Lisa Galloway

A passionate storyteller and digital content creator with a background in creative writing and journalism.