Orbital Photographs Show Iran's Navy and Nuclear Facilities Hit by US-Israeli Military Action.

A series of US and Israeli attacks has reportedly eliminated or harmed no fewer than eleven Iran's navy ships since Saturday, freshly analyzed orbital imagery demonstrate, with launch facilities and atomic facilities also coming under fire.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, show smoke billowing from a number of vessels on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Fleet Sustained Substantial Damage

Among the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Orbital photos showed dark plumes pouring from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence assessments indicate that at least a quintet of warships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Imagery of the south end of the port reveal smoke emanating from the IRINS Makran, while additional ships seem to be harmed, with a single one clearly on fire.

Over at the Konarak base, images show several stricken vessels, with expert review identifying impacts on six ships. Pictures from the start of the week also demonstrate that multiple structures at the base have been destroyed.

"For decades the Iranian regime has harassed commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command said. "Today, there is not one Iranian vessel at sea in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."

A number of vessels reportedly destroyed may have been hidden in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts suggested that one Iranian ship was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, resulting in a search and rescue mission.

Missile Bases and Atomic Facilities Hit

The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the hindering of enrichment activities were listed as further objectives of the air campaign. Satellite images also showed strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were targeted.

At the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread damage was seen to sheds, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.

Impact was also seen at a radar installation at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Significantly, the new round of attacks have apparently focused on installations at the Natanz complex – considered at the center of Iran's enrichment efforts. An international watchdog commented that the affected buildings were used for entry to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was anticipated.

Wider Impact and Analysis

Observers stated that the attacks appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's ability to conduct traditional warfare using its most significant vessels. But, it was stressed that Iran retains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.

The total extent of the destruction caused to Iranian military facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes said to be continuing. Pictures also shows extensive destruction to the command center of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.

Numerous of civilian buildings also are reported to have been damaged in the capital and throughout the country after the hostilities started. Casualty figures from local officials state that hundreds of civilians may have been killed in the bombardment.

As the situation develops, review of satellite imagery will carry on to document the unfolding scope of damage.

Maria Jackson
Maria Jackson

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