Beyond the assertions of Donald Trump, who believes that the “United States have defeated Iran” on a military level, it remains difficult to establish a precise assessment of the campaign of air strikes led by the United States and Israel against Iran, launched on February 28 and suspended by a ceasefire on April 8 – the American authorities claim to have struck more than 13,000 targets. The BBC Verify unit nevertheless tried the exercise by analyzing different satellite images, and was able to identify damage on more than fifty military sites Iranians.
Revolutionary Guards targeted
A dozen airfields were affected. Mehrabad International Airport was the subject of strikes on March 7 which destroyed at least 17 aircraft in the military zone of the site; 13 were on the Shiraz base, following American-Israeli attacks carried out between April 2 and 17. Iranian navy sites were not spared. Several ships were damaged during attacks on the Bandar Abbas naval base – headquarters of the navy – in the early days of the war.
The bases of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were also struck. Their headquarters, in the eastern suburbs of Tehran, and that of their navy, suffered significant damage – the commander of the navy, General Alireza Tangsiri, was also killed during an Israeli operation at the end of March. The bases belonging to the Basij militia – a volunteer force controlled by the IRGC and often deployed in the streets to suppress protest – were also attacked. These bombings may have been carried out with the aim of promoting regime change. Tehran, which Donald Trump had called for in the early hours of the conflict, and which the demonstrations of December and January gave him hope for, but which did not happen.
Iranian responses
This damage has not, however, reduced Tehran’s retaliatory capabilities to nothing. “Iran’s ability to defend itself has less to do with its conventional forces, such as its air force, than with its ability to carry out counterattacks using missiles or drones,” declared Zev Faintuch, of the security company Global Guardian, at the BBC. Iranian missiles and drones have struck across the Middle East, including damaging 20 US military sites, including advanced air defense systems, tanker aircraft and radars.
The ceasefire in force for more than a month would also have allowed the Islamic regime to carry out a certain number of repairs on at least four missile launch sites as well as tunnels. The ceasefire faltered this week, following the shooting down of an American helicopter patrolling off the coast of Oman; American bombings followed, followed by new Iranian attacks. At the same time, negotiators are working hard to hope to finalize an agreement that the American president swears is imminent.
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