Summary: U.S. and Israeli strikes have inflicted significant losses on Iran's conventional navy, destroying ships and infrastructure, including at a key facility in the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iran's second navy, run by the Revolutionary Guard and specializing in asymmetric warfare with smaller vessels, remains a persistent challenge. The conflict has expanded, with recent Israeli strikes targeting Tehran and Beirut, and Iranian retaliatory attacks involving drones and missiles across the region, leading to major airspace disruptions.
Main Topics Covered:
1. The impact of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran's naval forces.
2. The distinction between Iran's two navies and the ongoing military challenge.
3. The escalation of strikes to include targets in Tehran and Beirut.
4. Iranian retaliatory attacks across the Middle East.
5. The regional disruption to air travel.
Iran War Maps: Tracking the Mideast Conflict
Maps show where U.S. and Israel have struck Iran, and where Iran has retaliated.
The Iranian naval forces have suffered heavy losses in the first week of U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to a New York Times analysis of satellite data and videos. At two bases, Iran lost at least seven moored ships, along with critical naval infrastructure, and the entrance to an underground naval facility in the Strait of Hormuz was hit. But challenges remain for U.S. and Israeli forces seeking to neutralize it completely.
So far, the strikes have heavily targeted Iran’s regular navy, known as The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, which operates conventional warships. The country also has a second navy, run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that specializes in asymmetric warfare.
In addition to traditional warships, some of which were destroyed this week, the Guard’s fleet includes lighter assets, such as large numbers of speedboats and uncrewed vessels that can be harder to target. The Revolutionary Guard navy is primarily responsible for securing the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The United States would need to degrade it further, along with other threats, to make the Strait fully navigable again.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe Israeli military said it had launched a broad wave of strikes at Tehran early Saturday. Soon after, Iranian state media said Israeli strikes had hit the area near Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.
Footage shared on state media showed multiple explosions and columns of smoke rising into the night sky.
Israeli officials said on Friday that their forces had destroyed an underground bunker that had been used by Iran’s supreme leader before he was killed last week, part a fresh wave of heavy strikes on Tehran. The Israeli military also pounded the southern outskirts of Beirut. Iran launched a wave of drones and missiles at Tel Aviv, though there were no immediate reports of major damage. Iran also targeted U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Major developments — March 6
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe Israeli military said on Friday it had hit an underground bunker in Tehran located beneath the compound where Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday.
The underground bunker, the military said, had continued to be used by senior Iranian officials since the initial strike.
Satellite imagery taken on Friday and published by Planet Labs shows fresh damage to buildings around the leadership compound, in addition to impacts from the Saturday strikes.
As of March 6, much of the airspace in the Middle East remains closed or subject to restrictions. The bulk of the closures have been in effect since the fighting broke out almost a week ago, leading to tens of thousands of flight cancellations. The latest restriction came on Thursday when Iranian drones fell in Azerbaijan, prompting that country to close part of its airspace.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTU.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran continued unabated, and Israel unleashed a major bombardment on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. Iran attacked pro-American Kurdish forces based in neighboring Iraq, and Azerbaijan said it had been struck by two Iranian drones. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Major developments — March 5
The Israeli military on Thursday warned residents to evacuate from four neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah holds sway. The warnings have prompted fears that Israel might begin a large-scale bombing campaign there.
Israeli officials told residents of the Burj al Brajneh and Hadath neighborhoods to head east toward Mount Lebanon and residents of the Shiya and Haret Hreik neighborhoods to move north toward Tripoli.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Lebanon since the latest onset of hostilities began, according to the United Nations. At least 102 people have been killed in Lebanon since Monday, according to a statement from the Lebanese health ministry.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTNATO air defenses shot down an Iranian ballistic missile headed toward Turkey, the United States sank an Iranian Navy ship in international waters and several European nations deployed military assets to the region to protect their interests. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Major developments — March 4
A senior Iranian military official threatened this week to “set on fire” any ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. Vessels in the region have already come under attack since the conflict began on Feb. 28. Several oil and gas facilities have also been struck or affected by nearby shelling, though the damage did not initially appear to be catastrophic.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTTankers have been staying away from Hormuz since the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran that began on Saturday. A prolonged conflict could ripple broadly across the global economy, threatening the energy supplies of countries halfway around the world and stoking inflation.
On Monday, just two oil and gas tankers appear to have crossed the strait, according to a New York Times analysis of shipping activity from Kpler, an industry data firm. On Tuesday, one tanker passed through.
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