🔗 Share this article

A wave of US and Israeli attacks has allegedly destroyed or damaged at least 11 warships belonging to Iran starting Saturday, freshly analyzed satellite images show, 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 Strait of Hormuz and contains the main command of the Iranian navy, depict black smoke pouring from multiple vessels on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Fleet Incurred Major Damage

Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery displayed dark plumes pouring from the vessel which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical reports state that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Imagery of the southern end of the harbor depict plumes ascending from the Makran, while two other vessels seem to be harmed, with a single one clearly on fire.

At the Konarak base, images display several harmed ships, with intelligence reports pointing to damage to a half-dozen warships. Pictures from the start of the week also indicate that several buildings at the installation have been leveled.

"For many years the Iranian regime has harassed international shipping," a senior US military official stated. "At present, there is no Iranian vessel operational in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."

Some vessels allegedly destroyed may have been hidden in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have not been independently verified. Separate reports indicated that one Iranian ship was foundering near Sri Lanka's waters, prompting a search and rescue mission.

Rocket Installations and Nuclear Locations Targeted

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the hindering of atomic bomb programs were listed as other aims of the military strikes. Satellite images also depicted impacts against the southern Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were struck.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone UAV facility west of Kermanshah, extensive destruction was seen to sheds, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

Impact was also observed at a surveillance station at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the most recent series of strikes have apparently focused on facilities at Natanz – considered at the core of the country's nuclear programme. A global monitoring agency commented that the damaged buildings were used for access to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was anticipated.

Wider Fallout and Analysis

Defense experts indicated that the attacks appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's capability to sustain standard operations using its biggest vessels. But, it was stressed that Iran maintains the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mini-submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.

The full scope of the destruction caused to Iranian military facilities remains unclear, with hostilities said to be persisting. Photos also reveals considerable damage to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.

A significant number of civilian buildings also are reported to have been struck in the capital and across Iran after the conflict escalated. Reports of deaths from inside Iran suggest that a high number of non-combatants may have been killed in the attacks.

With the conflict ongoing, review of space-based data will continue to assess the unfolding battlefield picture.