• The Israeli military said it bombed two Iranian F-14 Tomcats in Tehran earlier this week.
• A new satellite image shows that one of the fighter jets is destroyed while the other looks damaged.
• The US sold dozens of F-14s to Iran in the 1970s when the two countries still had ties.

New satellite imagery of an Iranian airfield shows two US-made F-14 fighter jets — one of which looks to be totally destroyed — after they were hit by Israeli airstrikes earlier in the week.

The image, captured on Friday by US commercial satellite imaging company Maxar Technologies and obtained by Business Insider, shows the two F-14s at a facility at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.

One of the F-14s appears to have taken a hit near the nose, although the full extent of the damage is unclear. However, the other jet directly next to it was reduced to a burned wreck.

Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, said on Monday that an IDF drone struck two Iranian F-14s, marking "another loss of strategic weaponry for the enemy." The military published footage showing a direct hit on each aircraft.

The F-14 Tomcat is a multi-role fighter jet made by the US aerospace corporation formerly known as Grumman Aerospace Corporation, now Northrop Grumman. Designed to be launched from aircraft carriers, the plane was introduced by the US Navy in the 1970s and participated in combat missions around the world over the next few decades.

The Navy stopped flying the F-14 in 2006, after replacing it with the F/A-18 Super Hornet made by US defense manufacturer Boeing. However, the F-14 has remained a celebrated aircraft, in part because of its spotlight in the "Top Gun" blockbusters.

The US sold nearly 80 F-14s to Iran, once an American partner, before the 1979 Iranian Revolution ended relations between the two countries. Washington cut support and supplies of spare parts for the Tomcats, and Tehran's inventory slowly declined over time as maintenance and logistical challenges mounted. Iran still has its jets, though, and is the only remaining operator.

Iran's F-14s, like much of its air force, are relatively obsolete due to international sanctions and embargoes that prevent the country from modernizing its fleet. Tehran also operates other aging aircraft, including Soviet-era Su-24s and MiG-29s and US-made F-5s.

The limitations of its airpower have forced Iran to rely on building a large arsenal of ballistic missiles and attack drones. Tehran was said to have purchased newer Su-35 aircraft from Russia, although it's unclear if any have been delivered.

Israel has struck additional aircraft beyond the two F-14s, including at least one aerial refueling tanker and eight attack helicopters, since beginning a new operation last Friday aimed at degrading Iran's nuclear program, a longtime goal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Over the past week, Israeli fighter jets have carried out widespread airstrikes across Iran, targeting its nuclear facilities, top scientists, senior commanders, missile launchers, air defenses, and other high-profile military infrastructure. The Iranians have responded by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is weighing whether to use US assets to strike Iran's most hardened nuclear sites. Iran has said that it will retaliate if American forces intervene in the conflict.

• Dozens of US military aircraft have departed from a key base in the Middle East.
• The base, Al Udeid in Qatar, could be vulnerable to Iranian strikes.
• Tehran has threatened retaliation if the US joins Israel's bombing campaign in Iran.

New satellite imagery shows dozens of US military aircraft missing from a key Middle Eastern base that could be vulnerable to Iranian strikes if American forces join the conflict with Israel.

In a June 5 image, captured by the US commercial satellite imaging company Planet Labs and reviewed by Business Insider, around 40 aircraft of various types can be seen parked on the tarmac at the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar.

But only three aircraft could be seen on the tarmac in another image captured on Thursday.

The move's purpose is unclear, but the large-scale aircraft departure could be a possible move to protect them from Iranian retaliatory attacks if the US military joins Israel in carrying out offensive strikes against Tehran's nuclear program.

Iran's supreme leader has threatened the US, warning it not to intervene in the conflict, which is entering its second week. Al Udeid, America's largest base in the Middle East and located just across the Persian Gulf, could be a prime target for Tehran, along with other nearby military installations.

Al Udeid hosts a number of military assets, including the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing's airlift, aerial refueling, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. The air base supports a vast array of US aircraft, including B-52 strategic bombers, C-17 Globemaster transports and RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft.

Agence France-Presse first reported the dispersal of US aircraft from Al Udeid. US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, did not provide comment.

President Donald Trump has hinted in recent days that the US could join Israel's campaign. There has been speculation that such action could involve sending in B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to drop the massive bunker-buster munitions on Iran's hardened Fordow nuclear facility.

The 15-ton GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, is one of the most powerful non-nuclear bombs and the largest bunker buster in the US arsenal. It is likely the only conventional munition capable of damaging Fordow, buried deep in the side of a mountain. It is unique to the US, as it can only be carried by the B-2 bomber.

"I may do it, I may not do it," Trump told reporters earlier this week of plans to strike Iran. "Nobody knows what I'm going to do."

The dispersal of aircraft at Al Udeid, a possible security move, comes amid the larger build-up of US military forces in and around the Middle East, including fighter jets, tanker planes, warships, and even a second aircraft carrier.

US Navy destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and American ground troops in the Middle East have already been involved in defending Israel from Iranian retaliatory missile attacks that began last Friday after Israeli officials announced the start of a new operation to harm Tehran's nuclear program and began conducting bombing operations.

Over the past week, Israeli fighter jets have launched widespread airstrikes on targets across Iran, targeting the country's nuclear facilities, top scientists, senior commanders, missile launchers, air defenses, bases, and other high-profile military assets.

Iran has retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israeli cities.