Aerial Pictures Reveal Iran's Navy and Nuclear Sites Hit by US-Israeli Airstrikes.

Multiple US and Israeli airstrikes has reportedly destroyed or damaged a minimum of 11 Iran's navy ships since Saturday, recently obtained satellite images demonstrate, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also coming under fire.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iranian navy, depict black smoke pouring from multiple ships on the start of the week.

Maritime Assets Sustained Substantial Losses

Included in the vessels destroyed was the Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had functioned as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery showed thick smoke emanating from the vessel which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical assessments suggest that at least five ships at the port were "hit or sunk". Photos of the southern part of the port show smoke emanating from the Makran, while two other ships are visibly harmed, with one clearly on fire.

Over at the Konarak base, photos display several stricken ships, with analysis pointing to impacts on a half-dozen warships. Pictures from the start of the week also indicate that a number of facilities at the installation have been demolished.

"For many years the Iranian regime has harassed global maritime traffic," an American commander stated. "At present, there is no Iranian ship at sea in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will continue."

A number of vessels reportedly sunk may have been concealed in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts suggested that a ship from Iran was going down near Sri Lankan territorial waters, resulting in a search and rescue mission.

Rocket Sites and Atomic Locations Targeted

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the stopping nuclear weapons development were listed as other aims of the military strikes. Satellite images also depicted impacts against the southerly Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were struck.

At the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site west of Kermanshah, significant destruction was seen to warehouses, bunkers and drone launch equipment.

Damage was also seen at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have apparently targeted sites at Natanz – long said to be at the center of Iran's atomic program. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the affected buildings were used for access to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was likely.

Broader Fallout and Analysis

Military analysts stated that the attacks appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's capacity to carry out standard operations using its largest warships. But, it was noted that Tehran retains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.

The overall extent of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities remains unclear, with attacks reportedly ongoing. Photos also shows widespread destruction to the main offices of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.

Numerous of non-military structures also appear to have been struck in the capital city and across Iran after the conflict escalated. Casualty figures from inside Iran suggest that many hundreds of civilians may have been fatally injured in the strikes.

With the conflict ongoing, review of aerial photographs will carry on to document the unfolding battlefield picture.

Deborah Rodriguez
Deborah Rodriguez

A seasoned travel writer and photographer with a passion for uncovering hidden gems and sharing authentic stories from around the globe.