The US and Israel have attacked Iran for the fourth day since launching an operation that killed its supreme leader.
With no apparent end in sight to the hostilities, Sky News has mapped out the attacks on both sides – and the military assets at play in the region.
Regional conflict
The US launched Operation Epic Fury with a series of strikes on Saturday morning, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his Tehran compound.
Zoom in to explore strike locations on satellite maps
Israel joined the attack, killing dozens of top Iranian military officials in more than 100 airstrikes over three days.
“Preliminary analysis shows that the United States and Israel used a variety of precision-guided munitions to strike Iran,” said Armament Research Services (ARES) Director Nick Jenzen Jones.
“These included air-delivered weapons such as the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), Blue Sparrow-series air-launched ballistic missiles and various 500-, 1,000- and 2,000-pound-class bombs.”
He said: “Besides, surface-to-surface missiles including sea-based Tomahawk-series missiles and land-based precision strike missile (PrSm) were also fired.”
Iran continues to retaliate, launching drones and missiles targeting Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Qatar.
The US has confirmed the deaths of six service members at an RAF base in Cyprus He was also targeted in drone attacks.
How far can Iran hit?
Iran’s drone attack on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was a demonstration of its capabilities.
Its longest-range missile, the Sajjil, has a maximum range of up to 2,000km (1,240 miles), according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a defense thinktank.
That’s far enough to hit Moscow or Athens, though still short of giving Iran the ability to hit the UK.
The UK base in Cyprus is within range of not only the Sajjil but also Iran’s Ghadar and Emad-1 missiles.
Fighter jets and airfields
Sky News’ data and forensics team found US and UK air bases in the Middle East and Europe could be used to attack Iran.
Flight tracking data shows the routes taken by 47 US military cargo and refueling planes to and from the Middle East in recent days.
At least 15 flights passed through British bases, four through Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
The site has been in the headlines in recent months, with Donald Trump criticizing UK plans to cede control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
The Iran conflict has highlighted the strategic importance of the US-UK joint military base, which Sir Keir Stormer initially refused permission to use from the US to launch attacks on Tehran.
Satellite imagery captured over the base on Sunday morning showed at least 14 aircraft parked alongside the runway, including six F-16 fighter jets and two P-8 Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
The rest are transport aircraft, including a C-5 Galaxy and three KC-135 Stratotankers, Jane’s Defense Weekly analysts told Sky News.
The C-5 is the largest transport aircraft in the US arsenal, capable of carrying military vehicles and fighter jets.
Apart from the P-8 Poseidon, the UK does not operate any aircraft models visible in satellite imagery, Jane’s Defense Weekly analysts said.
As the planes headed for the Middle East, American airfields in Germany were noticeably empty.
While 161 flights have landed at Spangdahlem and Ramstein airfields since February 23, at least 246 have departed – an overall decrease of 52.
Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar is also noticeably empty, with 20 more flights departing than arriving. The base was an expected target of Iranian counterattacks.
Meanwhile, planes are accumulating at bases in Kuwait, Israel and Jordan.
Iranian sea power is a target
The aftermath of the attack is visible in satellite imagery of two Iranian naval bases.
Bandar Abbas military port on March 2. Source: Planet Labs PBC
The fire could be seen at the military port in Bandar Abbas, which is the headquarters of Iran’s navy and overlooks the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
A burning ship, the Makron, is also visible in the picture.
It is unclear from the imagery how much damage the vessel sustained, but since the vessel is Iran’s largest naval vessel and serves as a floating base, it would be a blow to the regime’s naval capabilities if it were to be disabled.
The Makron was one of six Iranian vessels tracked by Sky News using data from TankerTrackers on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
The ships have been seen in satellite imagery on three recent dates, the most recent being 2 March.
Smoke can also be seen at the docks of the Konark naval base on Iran’s southern coast.
Damage is visible at Iran’s Konark Naval Base on March 1. Image: Planet Labs PBC
Strikes were reported at two other Navy installations.
Sky News has mapped Iran’s naval facilities, which are concentrated near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman is a strategically important waterway for Iran and other oil producers in the Middle East.
US naval assets
At least three US military ships are believed to be in the Persian Gulf and 12 in the Middle East and Mediterranean.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was spotted on February 25 just under 200km (124 miles) off the coast of Oman.
Image: EU Sentinel, Copernicus
It consisted of an unidentified vessel measuring more than 200 meters and presumably used for replenishment or drills.
The USS Gerald R Ford, the US Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, was last seen in satellite imagery on February 27 in the Mediterranean Sea, less than 400km (248 miles) off the coast of Cyprus.
It was reportedly traveling with three US destroyers, capable of carrying a total of 6,000 personnel.
Maps created by data journalist Alija Hagopian, digital investigations journalists Ben van der Merwe and Sophia Massam, and OSINT producers Freya Gibson and Lydia Morrish. Copy editing and production by Associate Editor Adam Parris-Long and Forensic Journalism Editor Natasha Mukhtarsingh.
The Data x Forensics The team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We collect, analyze and visualize data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source data. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while showing how our journalism is done.
