Satellite images reveal damage at key Iranian sites

Satellite imagery shows the huge damage which has been inflicted by Israel on military and nuclear facilities in Iran.

The images from commercial satellite company Maxar help paint a clearer picture of what has happened on the ground—amid restrictions on free press, and reports of limited internet access.

The imagery shows in detail the damage to one of Iran's key uranium enrichment facilities near Natanz, a city south of Tehran.

Analysis shows several buildings have been hit in the north-west sector of the facility.

There are also new vehicle tracks and dirt piles, on the surface in the middle of the facility

2003 imagery of the same location shows large structures in the same place — suggesting they may have been buried.

An Israeli military official told Reuters on Saturday that the Natanz site was significantly damaged. They added the Isfahan nuclear site had also been damaged.

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Saturday that radiation levels outside the Natanz facility remain unchanged.

Military buildings damaged
The strikes haven't been limited to nuclear-related facilities.

In Iran's north, the imagery shows damage to parts of the Shahid Modarres Garrison rocket production facility near Bid Kaneh, south-west of Tehran.

The site is reportedly one of the country's key ballistic missile facilities, which has been expanding in recent years, according to an investigation by Reuters.

Several buildings show evidence they were directly hit with strikes. Some have large gaping holes in their roofs.

Reuters reported last year that an Iranian official said some of the buildings were also being used to manufacture drones, though it was unable to independently confirm the claim.

The situation on the ground in Iran is still unfolding.

This can be seen in imagery from the city of Shiraz, in south-central Iran.

The burning facility image is a Shiraz Electronic Industries production facility.

According to Iran Watch, a website which monitors the country's nuclear and missile programs, the company produces electronics for the Iranian military — including important radar systems.

The company is subject to sanctions by several western countries — including Australia.

Detailed imagery appears to confirm parts of a large suspected missile facility in Kermanshah, in Iran's west, have also been hit several times.

A 2021 report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies listed Kermanshah as the location of a number of suspected missile deployment sites, with evidence of some underground facilities.