Tel Aviv: Israeli strikes have reportedly caused significant damage to Iran’s missile sites and other critical infrastructure, as revealed by recent satellite images. The images display destruction at two missile bases and damage to an airport runway, underscoring escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.

According to BBC, the newly released satellite imagery from Maxar highlights the damage at a missile base operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) near Kermanshah, a historically significant ballistic missile site. Jeremy Binnie, a Middle East specialist at Janes defense intelligence, noted that the strikes targeted missile storage bunkers, launchers, and potentially barracks, suggesting an intention to impede retaliatory capabilities by reducing personnel numbers.

Military analyst Fabian Hinz from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) explained that Kermanshah, established during the Iran-Iraq war, plays a pivotal role in Iran’s missile operations. Additional satellite images from Planet Labs depict extensive damage at Tabriz International Airport in East Azerbaijan province, with a blackened main runway, likely the result of a precision munition, according to Stu Ray, a senior analyst at McKenzie Intelligence Services.

The airport’s current operational status remains uncertain, as no commercial flights have been tracked since the Israeli attacks commenced. Military movements, typically absent from public flight tracking platforms, add to the ambiguity.

Further satellite imagery from the EU’s Sentinel-2 satellites captured large plumes of smoke emanating from two energy facilities in Tehran. The Shahr Rey refinery and the Shahran oil and gas depot, critical to the region’s energy distribution, show signs of structural damage. Despite this, Iranian officials, as reported by Shana, the oil ministry’s news agency, have downplayed the impact, stating that the refinery remains operational and the situation is under control.