What satellite images reveal about strikes on Iran

BBC Satellite image of damage to Parchin military complexBBC

Satellite images analysed by BBC Verify show damage to a number of military sites in Iran from Israeli air strikes on Saturday.

They include sites experts say were used for missile production and air defence, including one previously linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.

Satellite images before and after Israeli air strike on Parchin military complex showing damage

Satellite imagery following the Israeli strikes shows damage to buildings at what experts say is a major weapons development and production facility at Parchin, about 30km (18.5 miles) east of Tehran.

The site has been linked to rocket production according to experts from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Comparing high-resolution satellite imagery taken on 9 September with an image captured on 27 October, it appears that at least four structures have been significantly damaged.

One of these structures, known as Taleghan 2, has been previously linked to Iran’s nuclear programme by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

In 2016 the IAEA found evidence of uranium particles at the site, raising questions about banned nuclear activity there.

Satellite images showing damage to Khojir military base

Another site apparently targeted in the Israeli air strikes is at Khojir, about 20km north-west of Parchin.

Fabian Hinz of the ISS says “Khojir is known as the area with the highest concentration of ballistic missile-related infrastructure within Iran.”

It was the site of a mysterious large explosion in 2020.

Satellite photos show at least two buildings in the complex appear to have been severely damaged.

Satellite images showing damage to Shahroud military site

A military site at Shahroud, about 350km to the east of Tehran, has also sustained damage, according to satellite imagery taken after the Israeli strikes.

Located in the northern province of Semnan, this area is significant because it’s been involved in the production of long-range missile components, according to Fabian Hinz of the IISS.

Nearby is the Shahroud Space Centre, controlled by the Revolutionary Guards Corps, from which Iran launched a military satellite into space in 2020.

Satellite imagery showing damage to Nakhjir radar site

Israel has claimed that it successfully targeted Iran’s aerial defence systems at number of locations but it’s difficult to confirm this with the satellite imagery available.

We have obtained satellite imagery which appears to show damage to a site described by experts as a radar installation.

It’s located on Shah Nakhjir mountain close to the western city of Ilam, and Jeremy Binnie, Middle East specialist at Janes, a defence intelligence company, says this may have been a newly updated radar defence system.

The site itself was established decades ago, but satellite pictures analysed by open source experts show it has undergone major renovation in recent years.

Satellite images of Abadan oil refinery showing damage to one of the storage units

We’ve also identified what appears to be damage to a storage unit at the Abadan Oil Refinery based in the south-western province of Khuzestan.

However, we don’t know what caused it and there is likely to be damage in some areas across Iran caused by debris or misfiring defence systems.

The New York Times cited Israeli officials as saying that the Abadan oil refinery was one of the sites targeted in its air strikes on Saturday morning.

Iranian authorities confirmed on Saturday that Khuzestan province had been targeted by Israel.

Abadan oil refinery is the country’s largest, capable of producing 500,000 barrels a day, according to its chief executive.

Satellite imagery isn’t always conclusive in identifying damaged structures.

For example, a photograph we have verified showing smoke rising near Hazrat Amir Brigade Air Defence base suggested it had been successfully targeted. But satellite imagery of the area captured on Sunday has too many shadows to confirm any damage to the site.

Iran launched a missile attack on Israel at the start of October for the second time this year, after firing 300 missiles and drones in April.

Additional reporting by Tom Spencer and Daniele Palumbo

BBC Verify log

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Soldiers say they have ousted President Talon from power

Soldiers say they have ousted President Talon from power

Paul Njie,BBC Africaand Lucy Fleming BTV The soldiers appeared on state TV saying they were suspending the constitution Soldiers in the West African nation of Benin have announced on national TV that they have ousted President Patrice Talon and seized power. A message from the French embassy in Benin said gunfire had been reported near

Frank Gehry's most iconic work

Frank Gehry’s most iconic work

2 days ago ShareSave ShareSave Frank Gehry, a provocative and creative force in architecture who has died aged 96, was behind some of the world’s most intriguing buildings. Tim Graham/Getty Images The unmistakable curves of the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao Insights/Universal Images Group via Getty Images A leaning glass tower at the Dancing House, Prague Tim

The two main outstanding issues, Kellogg said, were on territory - primarily the future of the Donbas - and the future of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant(AFP)

‘Really close’: What US envoy said on Ukraine peace deal, ‘outstanding issues’

US President Donald Trump’s outgoing Ukraine envoy said a deal to end the Ukraine war was “really close” and now depended on resolving two main outstanding issues: the future of Ukraine’s Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The two main outstanding issues, Kellogg said, were on territory – primarily the future of the

Single women face sexual violence

Single women face sexual violence

Sofia BettizaGlobal Health Reporter in Trieste, Italy BBC Esther fled Lagos in 2016 Esther was sleeping on the streets of Lagos when a woman approached her with the promise of a route out of Nigeria to a job and a home in Europe. She had dreamt of a new life, especially in the UK. Thrown

How to deal with disliking a friend's partner

How to deal with disliking a friend’s partner

Annabel RackhamCulture reporter Netflix On the Netflix show Selling Sunset, Chrishell Stause (right) has fallen out with Emma Hernan (left), which has started a debate about friends’ partners It’s supposed to be a TV series about Los Angeles’ biggest and most beautiful homes – but the people selling them often steal the show. And the

<div>Gusty winds were observed Friday night and Saturday morning.</div>

Rounds of Rain On the Way

Seattle – Gusty winds late Friday and early Saturday morning brought down some trees and left some without power.  Winds were clocked as high as around 60 mph in some spots.  Winds did relax throughout the day on Saturday, but will be picking up again next week. Gusty winds were observed Friday night and Saturday

Bethlehem Christmas tree lights up for first time since start of Gaza war

Bethlehem Christmas tree lights up for first time since start of Gaza war

Yolande KnellMiddle East correspondent, Bethlehem Watch: Bethlehem Christmas tree lights up for first time since Gaza war For two years during the Gaza war, all public celebrations for Christmas were cancelled in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank – where Christians believe Jesus was born. But after the recent ceasefire, the holy city decided that

Japan is facing a dementia crisis – can technology help?

Japan is facing a dementia crisis – can technology help?

Suranjana TewariAsia Business Correspondent, Tokyo Getty Images Around seven million people suffer from dementia in Japan Last year, more than 18,000 older people living with dementia left their homes and wandered off in Japan. Almost 500 were later found dead. Police say such cases have doubled since 2012, underscoring a growing strain on the world’s

Hong Kong to vote in election as city mourns deadly fire

Hong Kong to vote in election as city mourns deadly fire

Getty Images Hongkongers are mourning the worst blaze the city has seen in more than 70 years Hongkongers are voting in an election seen as a test of public sentiment following a deadly fire that angered some in the city. The government has mounted a huge campaign to encourage Hongkongers to choose members of the

Israeli security forces clash with Jewish settlers during the evacuation of Illegal structures in Tzur Misgavi, an outpost in Gush Etzion, in the West Bank, November 17, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/NAAMA STERN)

Netanyahu calls for evacuating 14 illegal outposts, removing Jewish extremists in West Bank

A political source denied N12’s report, stating that Netanyahu’s meeting aimed to deal with “a group of delinquent youths who are neither part of the settlement, nor represent it.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the evacuation of 14 illegal outposts defined as “centers of Jewish extremism and nationalist crime,” in a recent security meeting,

New Doha museum Lawh Wa Qalam celebrates Indian art legend

New Doha museum Lawh Wa Qalam celebrates Indian art legend

Qatar Foundation A new museum in Doha is spotlighting the Indian artist’s legacy in an imaginative way At the edge of Doha, a new grey-blue building rises like a drawing on its skyline, its shimmering tiles shifting with the sun and casting geometric shadows. The building seems to be leaning forward, as if eager to

Death toll passes 900 after devastating Indonesia floods

Death toll passes 900 after devastating Indonesia floods

Reuters The death toll in Indonesia from recent flooding has passed 900, with hundreds still missing. More than 100,000 homes were destroyed when a rare and powerful cyclone formed over the Malaca Strait last week, bringing torrential rain and landslides to parts of the South East Asian country. Efforts to reach people in areas still

National Guardsman 'slowly healing' after being shot in Washington DC

National Guardsman ‘slowly healing’ after being shot in Washington DC

Getty Images Members of the National Guard patrolling a metro station in Washington DC A National Guardsman is on the mend after he was critically injured in an ambush-style shooting last month in Washington DC. The parents of Andrew Wolfe, 24, say “his head wound is slowly healing and that he’s beginning to ‘look more

Experts urge residents to eat costly invasive species wreaking havoc on native ecosystems — and it's unexpectedly delicious

Hiker stunned after stumbling upon 1,500-year-old device in mountains: ‘The most unexpected discovery’

Melting ice in Norway’s remote mountains revealed a 1,500-year-old reindeer trap that remained hidden for centuries, per The Daily Galaxy. While the discovery offers archaeologists a rare glimpse into ancient hunting practices, it also highlights the accelerating pace of global ice loss threatening modern communities worldwide. What’s happening? Local hiker Helge Titland discovered the trap

Experts urge residents to eat costly invasive species wreaking havoc on native ecosystems — and it's unexpectedly delicious

‘I couldn’t believe what I was seeing’

An amateur photographer in southern Spain captured something almost no one expected to see. Ángel Hidalgo managed to photograph a white Iberian lynx near Jaén after spending months checking his trail camera traps in the forest at sunrise. Hidalgo shared his images of the “white ghost of the Mediterranean forest” online, showing the lynx’s unusually

Can you ban kids from social media? Australia is about to try

Can you ban kids from social media? Australia is about to try

BBC/Jessica Hromas Isobel is convinced the social media ban won’t stop kids like her It took 13-year-old Isobel less than five minutes to outsmart Australia’s “world-leading” social media ban for children. A notification from Snapchat, one of the ten platforms affected, had lit up her screen, warning she’d be booted off when the law kicked

VFW VAK 191B

The Best Vertical Take-off Warplanes

Runways are undesirable locations for military aircraft. Being tied to miles of concrete gives jet aircraft a built-in vulnerability as well as restricting their flexibility. At sea, it is extremely difficult (and dangerous) to operate aircraft from the pitching deck of an aircraft carrier with its limited amount of deck space. So, it is hardly

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x