Satellite photos reveal extent of damage from Iranian strike on air base in Iraq

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Satellite photos taken Wednesday show that an Iranian missile strike has caused extensive damage at the Ain al-Assad air base in Iraq, which hosts U.S. and coalition troops.

The photos, taken by the commercial company Planet and shared via the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, show hangars and buildings hit hard by a barrage of Iranian missiles that were fired early Wednesday morning local time.

At least five structures were damaged in the attack on the base in Anbar province, which apparently was precise enough to hit individual buildings. “Some of the locations struck look like the missiles hit dead center,” says David Schmerler, an analyst with the Middlebury Institute.

Satellite imagery showing damage at al Asad air base in Iraq following Iranian missiles strike — A handout photo made available by Planet Labs Inc. and annotated analysis by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) of a satellite image showing damaged and destroyed buildings at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, 08 January 2020 (issued 09 January 2020). EPA-EFE/PLANET LABS INC./MIIS HANDOUT

Iran’s attack targeted at least two military bases in Iraq. The extent of the damage to the second base, in Irbil, was unclear.

There are no reports of casualties as a result of the strike on Ain al-Assad, which follows last week’s U.S. drone strike in Iraq that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.

Schmerler says it is unclear whether targets on the base were chosen to avoid loss of life. “The buildings we’re tallying now seem to be used for storing aircraft,” he says. “There are other structures at the air base that would be exclusively for people so maybe they intended to strike sites with equipment over people.”