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A wave of US and Israeli strikes has allegedly eliminated or harmed a minimum of eleven Iranian naval vessels starting the weekend, new aerial photos reveal, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also coming under fire.

Photographs of the southern Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, show smoke billowing from several warships on the start of the week.

Maritime Fleet Sustained Significant Damage

Among the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had served as a drone carrier. Satellite images showed black smoke emanating from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence assessments indicate that no fewer than five ships at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Photos of the south end of the port show smoke rising from the Makran, while additional ships are visibly impacted, with a single one seen burning.

At Konarak, images display several damaged ships, with analysis identifying strikes against six ships. Images taken on Monday also show that a number of facilities at the installation have been leveled.

"For decades the Iranian regime has threatened global maritime traffic," an American commander stated. "Today, there is not one Iranian vessel operational in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."

A number of ships reportedly sunk may have been concealed in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts suggested that a ship from Iran was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, leading to a rescue operation.

Rocket Bases and Atomic Facilities Targeted

Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the prevention of atomic bomb programs were stated as other goals of the military strikes. Satellite images also showed impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were hit.

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

Destruction was also seen at a surveillance station at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Perhaps most notably, the most recent series of strikes have apparently targeted installations at Natanz – widely believed to be at the center of Iran's nuclear programme. A global monitoring agency said that the damaged buildings were used for access to the site's underground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.

Broader Fallout and Assessment

Observers suggested that the offensive appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval capacity to carry out standard operations using its biggest warships. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Tehran still has the ability to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, mini-submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.

The full scope of the damage caused to Iran's defense infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes said to be persisting. Imagery also reveals considerable damage to the command center of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.

A large number of civilian buildings also are reported to have been damaged in the capital and across the country since the hostilities started. Toll estimates from inside Iran indicate that a high number of civilians may have been killed in the strikes.

As the situation develops, analysis of aerial photographs will carry on to assess the changing battlefield picture.