Satellite images have provided a rare glimpse into the devastation caused by the ongoing war in Iran, showing ships ablaze in an Iranian port and destroyed buildings at an American base. The conflict, which began on February 28, has seen limited information about damage inside closed military facilities.
The images, captured by Planet Labs PBC, a San Francisco-based firm, show significant damage in Bandar Abbas, home to a major Iranian military port near the Strait of Hormuz. The US military's Central Command has targeted Iran's naval assets, claiming to have sunk or damaged over 100 Iranian vessels since the war began.
In Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, a March 1 image reveals a destroyed building and two radomes—geodesic domes covering radar antennas—likely hit by Iranian missile and drone fire. Iran has repeatedly claimed attacks on the base, and online videos show incoming fire targeting the facility.
In Abu Dhabi, damage is visible at France's Camp de la Paix naval base, with satellite images from March 3 showing two large hangar-like buildings damaged. The base is located near Zayed Port and the Cultural District, which includes the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Lower-resolution imagery from the US Geological Survey's Landsat satellites has also captured major fires. A fire at Dubai International Airport, caused by an Iranian drone strike on a fuel tanker, produced a plume of black smoke. Another fire was seen at Oman's southern port in Salalah, which came under suspected Iranian drone attack on March 11, though Tehran denies involvement.
