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A wave of American and Israeli attacks has according to analysis destroyed or damaged no fewer than eleven Iranian naval vessels starting the weekend, new satellite images show, with missile bases and nuclear sites also coming under fire.

Pictures of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal black smoke pouring from several vessels on the start of the week.

Maritime Forces Sustained Substantial Losses

Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery showed thick smoke emanating from the ship which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical reports state that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Imagery of the south end of the port show plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of vessels seem to be harmed, with one clearly on fire.

Over at Konarak, photos display numerous stricken ships, with intelligence reports pointing to damage to a half-dozen warships. Photos from Monday also demonstrate that a number of buildings at the installation have been leveled.

"For many years the Iranian regime has threatened international shipping," a senior US military official declared. "At present, there is no vessel from Iran underway in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."

Some ships reportedly sunk may have been obscured in aerial photos by haze or plumes, or targeted offshore, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports stated that one Iranian ship was sinking near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Missile Installations and Atomic Locations Hit

The destruction of Tehran's launch facilities and the hindering of nuclear weapons development were declared as further objectives of the military strikes. Satellite images also showed strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were hit.

At the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was seen to sheds, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.

Impact was also noted at a surveillance station at the Zahedan military airport in eastern Iran, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Perhaps most notably, the new round of attacks have apparently focused on facilities at the Natanz complex – long said to be at the core of the country's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the damaged buildings were used for entry to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected.

Broader Impact and Assessment

Defense experts suggested that the attacks appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's capability to conduct conventional attacks using its largest vessels. But, it was stressed that Iran retains 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 overall scope of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities remains unclear, with strikes reportedly continuing. Photos also shows extensive destruction to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.

Numerous of non-military structures also are reported to have been struck in the capital city and across Iran since the conflict started. Reports of deaths from ground sources indicate that many hundreds of civilians may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.

Amid continuing hostilities, analysis of aerial photographs will carry on to document the evolving scope of damage.