Tehran: Israeli strikes have caused significant damage to missile sites and infrastructure in Iran, as revealed by recent satellite images. The images show damage to two missile sites operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and an airport runway, amidst escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.
According to BBC, the latest satellite imagery from Maxar highlights destruction at a missile base near Kermanshah, a western province in Iran. Jeremy Binnie, a Middle East specialist at Janes defence intelligence, notes that the strikes targeted missile storage bunkers, launchers, and potentially barracks, indicating an effort to reduce personnel capable of manning missile launchers for counterattacks. Fabian Hinz from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) mentions that Kermanshah, one of Iran’s oldest ballistic missile bases, has been instrumental in various Iranian missile operations since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
Additionally, satellite images from Planet Labs depict substantial damage at the international airport in Tabriz, the capital of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. Images from 14 June show extensive blackened areas on the main runway, described by Stu Ray of McKenzie Intelligence Services as a method to disable the runway using precision munitions. The nearby taxiways have also sustained damage, with military aircraft shelters observed in the vicinity. The operational status of the airport remains unclear, with no commercial flight activity recorded since the Israeli attacks began.
Further satellite imagery from the EU’s Sentinel-2 satellites on 15 June indicates smoke emanating from two energy facilities in Tehran. Shahr Rey, a major refinery, and Shahran oil and gas depot, a crucial fuel distribution hub, have both suffered apparent damage. Despite the visible destruction, Iranian officials have downplayed the impact, with Shana, the oil ministry’s news agency, asserting that operations at Shahr Rey continue, as the containers at Shahran were not full at the time of the strike.