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A wave of US and Israeli attacks has according to analysis sunk or crippled a minimum of eleven Iran's navy ships starting the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos show, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also being targeted.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iranian navy, reveal plumes of smoke rising from several warships on the start of the week.

Maritime Forces Sustained Significant Damage

Among the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had functioned as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos displayed thick smoke pouring from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence evaluations state that no fewer than five ships at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Pictures of the southern end of the port reveal smoke rising from the Makran, while another pair of vessels are visibly damaged, with one seen burning.

Over at the Konarak base, images show numerous damaged ships, with expert review pointing to impacts on a half-dozen warships. Pictures taken on the start of the week also indicate that multiple buildings at the installation have been leveled.

"For many years the Iran's leadership has disrupted international shipping," the head of US Central Command said. "Now, there is not a single vessel from Iran operational in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."

A number of vessels reportedly sunk may have been concealed in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts indicated that one Iranian ship was sinking off the coast of Sri Lankan territorial waters, leading to a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Nuclear Locations Attacked

Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the hindering of enrichment activities were stated as further aims of the air campaign. Satellite images also showed damage at the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak base, where rocket warehouses and fortifications were struck.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread damage was observed to storage buildings, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

Impact was also noted at a surveillance station at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Perhaps most notably, the new round of strikes have apparently targeted facilities at Natanz – considered at the core of Iran's atomic program. An international watchdog stated that the affected buildings were used for access to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was likely.

Wider Fallout and Analysis

Observers suggested that the attacks appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval ability to carry out traditional warfare using its most significant vessels. Nevertheless, it was stressed that Iran retains the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.

The overall scale of the destruction caused to Iran's defense infrastructure remains unclear, with attacks reportedly continuing. Imagery also reveals considerable destruction to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.

A significant number of non-military structures also seem to have been hit in the capital and across the country since the fighting began. Reports of deaths from ground sources indicate that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the attacks.

With the conflict ongoing, review of space-based data will carry on to document the changing battlefield picture.