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A series of American and Israeli airstrikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged no fewer than 11 Iran's navy ships starting the weekend, new orbital imagery reveal, with launch facilities and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Images of the southerly Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and contains the main command of the Iranian navy, reveal plumes of smoke rising from multiple ships on the start of the week.

Maritime Fleet Incurred Significant Damage

Among the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had served as a drone carrier. Satellite images displayed thick smoke rising from the vessel which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical evaluations suggest that at least five vessels at the port were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern end of the port show smoke rising from the Makran, while another pair of vessels are visibly damaged, with a single one visibly ablaze.

Over at the Konarak base, photos reveal several damaged ships, with intelligence reports identifying impacts on six vessels. Pictures from Monday also indicate that multiple structures at the installation have been leveled.

"For many years the Iranian regime has threatened international shipping," the head of US Central Command declared. "Today, there is not one vessel from Iran at sea in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will continue."

Some vessels allegedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts indicated that a ship from Iran was going down near Sri Lankan waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Rocket Sites and Nuclear Locations Hit

The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the hindering of nuclear weapons development were stated as other goals of the offensive. Aerial imagery also showed impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and fortifications were hit.

At the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was seen to warehouses, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.

Impact was also noted at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Significantly, the latest wave of strikes have apparently focused on sites at Natanz – considered at the heart of Iran's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body said that the damaged buildings were used for entry to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.

Broader Consequences and Assessment

Observers stated that the offensive appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's capability to conduct standard operations using its biggest warships. However, it was noted that Iran retains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.

The full scale of the destruction caused to Iran's defense facilities is still uncertain, with strikes said to be continuing. Imagery also shows widespread damage to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.

Numerous of public facilities also seem to have been struck in the capital and throughout the country after the hostilities escalated. Reports of deaths from ground sources suggest that many hundreds of civilians may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.

With the conflict ongoing, review of aerial photographs will persist to assess the unfolding scope of damage.