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A series of US and Israeli strikes has reportedly sunk or crippled no fewer than eleven Iran's navy ships starting the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos reveal, with rocket sites and enrichment plants also coming under fire.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and houses the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, depict smoke billowing from a number of vessels on the start of the week.

Naval Fleet Incurred Significant Damage

Included in the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, Iran's most sizable ship which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos indicated thick smoke pouring from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical reports indicate that at least five vessels at the port were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the southern end of the harbor reveal plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while two other vessels are visibly impacted, with one of them seen burning.

At Konarak, photos reveal several harmed ships, with analysis pointing to impacts on a half-dozen warships. Images taken on Monday also indicate that a number of structures at the base have been destroyed.

"For decades the Tehran government has harassed global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command declared. "At present, there is not one vessel from Iran operational in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."

A number of ships allegedly sunk may have been concealed in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have not been independently verified. Additional information indicated that an Iranian vessel was sinking off the coast of Sri Lankan territorial waters, resulting in a search and rescue mission.

Missile Sites and Nuclear Locations Attacked

Neutralizing Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were stated as other aims of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also revealed strikes on the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and fortifications were struck.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base west of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was seen to sheds, bunkers and drone launch equipment.

Impact was also noted at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Perhaps most notably, the most recent series of attacks have reportedly hit installations at Natanz – widely believed to be at the heart of the country's enrichment efforts. An international watchdog commented that the affected structures were used for access to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was likely.

Wider Consequences and Analysis

Defense experts stated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval capacity to conduct conventional attacks using its most significant warships. However, it was stressed that Iran retains the capacity to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mini-submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.

The full scale of the destruction caused to Iran's defense facilities is still uncertain, with hostilities said to be continuing. Imagery also indicates considerable destruction to the command center of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.

Numerous of civilian buildings also seem to have been damaged in the capital and across the country after the hostilities began. Casualty figures from ground sources suggest that a high number of civilians may have been fatally injured in the strikes.

As the situation develops, monitoring of aerial photographs will persist to document the evolving battlefield picture.