Satellite images begin to show damage wrought by Iran war

Dubai: Satellite images are beginning to be released, giving a glimpse into the toll of the Iran war, with ships ablaze in an Iranian port and destroyed buildings at American bases in the region.

Information has so far been scarce about the damage being done across the Middle East, particularly when it's inside closed military facilities, since the war started on Feb. 28.

The images come from Planet Labs PBC, a San Francisco-based firm used by media outlets, including The Associated Press. Planet Labs has put a two-week delay on its imagery becoming public, citing concerns its imagery could be used by "adversarial actors."


Also Read: War from above: Satellite images reveal hidden destruction across Iran conflict zone

High-resolution images have also been published by competing firms. Other providers, like the US Geological Survey, have been publishing lower-resolution imagery as well, which has been useful.

The United States and Israel have been striking a wide variety of targets, including leadership figures in Iran, military bases, missile and air defence sites and positions of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and its volunteer force, the Basij. Iran has responded with drone and missile fire targeting Israel and nearby Gulf Arab nations.

Here's a look at what's visible in a selection of Planet Labs' pictures, as well as others.

Burning ships in Bandar Abbas, Iran

-------------------------------------------

Some of the most dramatic images from Planet Labs so far have been in Bandar Abbas, home to a major Iranian military port next to the crucial Strait of Hormuz connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Images taken on March 2 show ships ablaze at the port. The US military's Central Command has been targeting Iran's naval assets and says it has sunk or damaged more than 100 Iranian vessels so far in the war.

Israeli airstrike hits Iran's Parchin military base

-------------------------------------------------------

Planet Labs' images from March 6 show damage to several buildings at the Parchin military base outside Tehran, Iran's capital.

Also Read: Iran war 'shock' is dimming outlook for many economies: IMF

The International Atomic Energy Agency suspects Iran conducted tests of high explosives that could trigger a nuclear weapon. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though the IAEA, Western intelligence agencies and others say Tehran had an active weapons program up until 2003.

Israel's military said its Parchin strikes hit "infrastructure used for the production of essential components for the development of various weapons." The site has been linked to Iran's ballistic missile program as well.

Major impact at 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain

----------------------------------------------------------

The island kingdom of Bahrain, home of the US Navy's 5th Fleet, has seen heavy Iranian fire targeting both military bases and oil installations. A March 1 image by Planet Labs shows a major building at the base destroyed, as well as two radomes - geodesic domes covering radar antennas - likely by Iranian missile and drone fire. A later, March 6 Planet Labs photo showed another building damaged.

The Navy has not offered a clear breakdown of the damage done so far at the base, but Iran has repeatedly claimed to have attacked it. Online videos have also shown incoming fire targeting the base. During the 12-day war in June, Iran attacked and destroyed a similar radome at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, used for secure communications.

Damage seen at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base

-------------------------------------------------

An Iranian attack targeted Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base and caused damage there.

A March 1 photo from Planet Labs shows damage to one of the buildings at the massive air base serving as the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command, which is prosecuting the war.

Qatar and the US have not acknowledged the damage.

Strike at Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base

------------------------------------------------------

An Iranian attack also targeted Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base and caused damage there, according to a March 15 photo.

Satellite images show damage to the UAE air base

-----------------------------------------------------------

Satellite images, taken March 15 by an Airbus Defence and Space Pleiades Neo satellite and analysed by the AP, show damage at Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra Air Base. Damage can be seen at one set of hangars to the northwest of the facility. Another hangar to the southeast of the facility appears shredded by fire, with an adjacent hangar sustaining roof damage. It's unclear what was in the hangars.

Al Dhafra typically hosts some 2,000 American troops and has served as a major base of operations for everything from armed drones to F-35 stealth fighters in recent years. The US military for years only vaguely referred to Al Dhafra as a base in "southwest Asia" before the UAE became more willing to acknowledge the American presence there.

French naval base hit in Abu Dhabi

------------------------------------------

In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, there's damage seen at France's Camp de la Paix naval base. Satellite images from March 3 show damage to two large hangar-like buildings at the facility. The base is near Zayed Port, in Abu Dhabi, and close to its Cultural District that includes the Louvre Abu Dhabi and other major museums, both open and still under construction.

Fires seen burning

------------------------

The US Geological Survey's Landsat satellites have also been key in spotting major fires. Imagery from Landsat taken on Monday showed a fire at Dubai International Airport after an Iranian drone strike set a fuel tanker ablaze at the world's busiest airport for international travel, causing a plume of noxious black smoke.

Another fire was also seen on Monday at Oman's southern port in Salalah, which came under attack from suspected Iranian drones on March 11, though Tehran has denied launching them in its campaign targeting Gulf Arab states. The fire apparently has been burning since then.