🔗 Share this article

A series of American and Israeli attacks has allegedly destroyed or damaged no fewer than eleven Iranian naval vessels starting the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos reveal, with launch facilities and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Images of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and houses the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, show plumes of smoke rising from several ships on the start of the week.

Naval Fleet Incurred Significant Losses

Included in the targets eliminated was the Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Orbital photos showed thick smoke pouring from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical assessments state that no fewer than five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the southern part of the harbor reveal plumes ascending from the Makran, while additional ships appear to be impacted, with a single one seen burning.

Over at Konarak, images show numerous harmed vessels, with analysis pointing to damage to six ships. Photos taken on Monday also demonstrate that a number of buildings at the base have been leveled.

"For many years the Iranian regime has threatened commercial vessels," an American commander said. "Now, there is no Iranian vessel operational in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."

A number of vessels reportedly destroyed may have been concealed in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports indicated that an Iranian vessel was sinking off the coast of Sri Lankan waters, resulting in a rescue operation.

Missile Sites and Atomic Locations Attacked

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were stated as additional goals of the air campaign. Satellite images also depicted strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were struck.

At the Choqa Balk-e drone UAV facility west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive damage was identified to warehouses, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

Impact was also seen at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern Iran, close to the frontier with neighboring nations.

Perhaps most notably, the new round of attacks have apparently focused on facilities at the Natanz complex – considered at the center of the country's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the affected buildings were used for entry to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected.

Wider Impact and Analysis

Defense experts stated that the attacks appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's ability to carry out standard operations using its most significant vessels. However, 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 oil ships.

The total extent of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure remains unclear, with strikes reportedly ongoing. Imagery also indicates widespread damage to the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.

Numerous of civilian buildings also seem to have been hit in the capital city and across Iran since the conflict escalated. Reports of deaths from ground sources indicate that a high number of non-combatants may have been killed in the bombardment.

With the conflict ongoing, analysis of space-based data will carry on to track the unfolding battlefield picture.