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A series of American and Israeli attacks has reportedly sunk or crippled no fewer than eleven warships belonging to Iran starting the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos demonstrate, with missile bases and enrichment plants also sustaining hits.

Pictures of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, depict plumes of smoke rising from a number of warships on recent days.

Naval Forces Incurred Significant Losses

Included in the vessels destroyed was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had functioned as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos showed thick smoke emanating from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence assessments state that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Imagery of the south end of the port show smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while two other ships appear to be damaged, with one visibly ablaze.

Over at the Konarak base, photos reveal numerous damaged vessels, with intelligence reports pointing to damage to six vessels. Pictures from the start of the week also show that a number of buildings at the base have been destroyed.

"For many years the Tehran government has disrupted commercial vessels," an American commander said. "Now, there is no Iranian ship at sea in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will continue."

Some ships reportedly sunk may have been concealed in satellite images by haze or plumes, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts suggested that one Iranian ship was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, resulting in a rescue operation.

Missile Sites and Atomic Locations Hit

Eliminating Tehran's launch facilities and the hindering of atomic bomb programs were listed as additional objectives of the offensive. Aerial imagery also showed strikes on the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were hit.

At the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility to the west of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was seen to sheds, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.

Destruction was also noted at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern Iran, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the latest wave of strikes have reportedly targeted sites at the Natanz complex – considered at the heart of Iran's enrichment efforts. A global monitoring agency commented that the affected buildings were used for access to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected.

Wider Consequences and Assessment

Military analysts stated that the strikes appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's ability to conduct standard operations using its biggest vessels. Nevertheless, it was noted that Iran still has the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mini-submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.

The total scale of the destruction caused to Iran's defense facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with hostilities said to be ongoing. Pictures also indicates widespread destruction to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.

Numerous of non-military structures also appear to have been hit in the capital city and throughout the country since the fighting began. Toll estimates from ground sources state that a high number of non-combatants may have been killed in the attacks.

With the conflict ongoing, review of aerial photographs will persist to track the changing military landscape.