Satellite images have revealed damage to a secret underground Iranian air force base, according to a report published by The New York Times, with Israeli officials not commenting on the strike.
The images show impact craters at the entrances to aircraft shelter tunnels at the “Eagle 44” base, located in a mountainous area in southern Iran. The strike, which reportedly took place in late March, had not been publicly disclosed until now.
The report did not specify whether Israel or the United States carried out the attack.
According to the images, the damage appears to have blocked access from the underground hangars to the runway, effectively trapping aircraft inside the facility. A structure linked to ongoing construction at the site was also destroyed.
Additional satellite images from March show damage to taxiways, while some tunnel entrances had reportedly been hit earlier in the conflict.
The runway itself appears to have been obstructed with small mounds or barriers, likely placed by Iranian forces to prevent enemy aircraft from landing.
Unlike other strikes in Iran that have been documented by eyewitness footage, the damage to this site appears to have been captured only by satellite imagery.
The existence of the base was first revealed in 2023, when Iranian media published footage showing drones and fighter jets, including F-4 Phantom aircraft, stored underground. It is considered Iran’s first tactical air base designed to house fighter jets, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles in fortified underground facilities.
The base is located in Hormozgan province, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of the Strait of Hormuz. Construction began around 2013, with the runway built several years later.
The name “Eagle 44” refers to the 44th anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the base was first publicly disclosed.