BBC Satellite Analysis Reveals Extensive Damage to Iranian Military Infrastructure After U.S.-Israeli Air Campaign

Satellite Images Reveal Scope of Damage

Satellite imagery analyzed by the BBC and captured by commercial provider Planet Labs shows extensive destruction at Iranian military installations following the U.S. and Israeli air campaign that began earlier this year.

The BBC reviewed approximately 250,000 satellite images covering around 800 locations across Iran, with particular attention given to Bushehr in southern Iran and Isfahan in the country's interior. According to the report, the images provide one of the clearest assessments to date of the damage inflicted on Iran's military infrastructure.

Military Bases, Airfields, and Missile Facilities Hit

The imagery shows significant damage to military targets, including aircraft shelters, ammunition storage areas, ballistic missile infrastructure, naval facilities, missile launch sites, and bases operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In Bushehr, multiple military compounds suffered heavy destruction. Satellite images show collapsed buildings, destroyed aircraft, damaged port facilities, and sunken vessels. Several runways, including those at Bushehr International Airport, display large impact craters consistent with precision airstrikes.

One military-designated area visible on public mapping services appears to have been almost completely destroyed.

Heavy Damage Reported in Isfahan

In Isfahan Province, satellite imagery revealed major damage at several military installations. Buildings at the strategically important Shekari 8 Air Base showed visible strike damage, while another military base south of Isfahan City had more than 60 structures either heavily damaged or destroyed. An additional military site near Baharestan also sustained significant damage.

Analysts Say Damage Matches Campaign Objectives

"The observed damage is consistent with the broad air campaign described by the United States and Israel, designed not only to strike active military forces but also to weaken the infrastructure supporting them," said Jeremy Binnie, Middle East defense analyst at Janes.

Satellite Access Restrictions Delayed Assessment

The BBC reported that access to Planet Labs imagery covering parts of the Middle East had been restricted beginning in March at the request of the U.S. government before recently being restored. The restrictions limited journalists, humanitarian organizations, and independent analysts from fully assessing damage across Iran and other regional conflict zones.

The newly available imagery offers one of the most detailed independent visual assessments yet of the military impact of the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.