Satellite images have revealed the full scale of devastation in Tehran after five long days of bombardment – with some sites almost unrecognisable after the dust cleared.
Executing a plan months in the making, America and Israel launched joint airstrikes against their long-term foe on Saturday – wiping out almost 50 top commanders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, within ‘minutes’.
Israel in particular has continued to blitz strategic targets across the country, with government buildings, missile stockpiles, military bases and nuclear sites razed to the ground.
There have also been reports of civilian infrastructure being hit. Most notably, state media claimed that more than 153 girls were killed when a bomb hit their primary school near a military base.
Nowhere in Iran has been shielded from the campaign, with Benjamin Netanyahu boasting that Israel has been striking ‘in the heart of Tehran’.
This was clear from the very beginning. In the first wave, at about 9:40am on Saturday, 30 bombs smashed into the Supreme Leader’s compound in the centre of the capital, killing him alongside his family.
Many of the buildings that houses important branches of the regime have similarly been blasted, as seen in the photos below, ranging from the courts to the intelligence HQ.
Donald Trump told CNN on Monday: ‘We’re knocking the cr** out of them. I think it’s going very well. It’s very powerful. We’ve got the greatest military in the world and we’re using it.’
But the worst for Iran may be yet to come. The president continued: ‘We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.’
This set shows the presidential complex and the Khomeini residence in central Tehran on February 22 (top) and on March 3 (bottom). This was the prime target of the first wave of strikes. Through intelligence, the US and Israel knew that Khamenei would be meeting with senior commanders here, and took their opportunity. Khameini was killed and, as can be seen, a number of the buildings were completely flattened
A view of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Headquarters in Tehran on February 27 (top) and on March 3 (bottom). The IRGC is an armed force tasked with defending the regime, so damaging it is key to toppling the government
A closer view of the destruction inflicted on the IRGC headquarters. Again, as seen on Febraury 27 at the top and March 3 at the bottom. This site has been another particular focus of the airstrikes, given its strategic importance
This is the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran on March 1 (top) and then March 3 (bottom), after a major strike. As the photos reveal, entire buildings were erased by the bombs. The court ran highly secretive trials, often condemning ‘suspects’ without a jury, defence or even proper evidence. Convictions would sometimes be secured based solely on an extracted confession
This is the National Defense University in Tehran on January 18 (top) and the same site on March 3. It was a prized educational institution under the jurisdiction of the General Command of the Armed Forces. Iran’s military commanders and security officials would be hothouse here, ready to be inserted into top positions defending the regime
Gandhi Hospital in Tehran, as it looked on March 1 (top) and on March 3 (bottom). The radio mast in the middle of the picture has been toppled by strikes, and further damage has been inflicted around it. The hospital was evacuated after strikes fell very nearby, and Iran demanded international action to protect its medical facilities
This is the judiciary complex in Tehran on March 1 (top) and on March 3 (bottom). Significant damage is visible in the lower half of the more recent photo
Here is Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, again in Tehran, on February 22 (top) and the same site on March 3 (bottom). Although the Americans and Israelis evidently had the upper hand with international intelligence, this place would still relentlessly amass information about the regime’s adverseries. The regime was on Wednesday forced to deny the Intelligence Ministry had reached out to the CIA to discuss terms for ending the conflict
