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A wave of US and Israeli attacks has reportedly sunk or crippled a minimum of 11 warships belonging to Iran since Saturday, new aerial photos show, with missile bases and atomic facilities also sustaining hits.

Images of the southern Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which sits on the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the main command of the Iranian navy, reveal plumes of smoke rising from several ships on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Assets Incurred Major Damage

Among the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, the country's biggest warship which had been used as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery showed dark plumes emanating from the ship which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical assessments indicate that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Pictures of the southern end of the port depict smoke rising from the Makran, while additional ships appear to be damaged, with a single one visibly ablaze.

Over at the Konarak base, photos reveal multiple damaged vessels, with expert review pointing to damage to a half-dozen warships. Pictures taken on Monday also demonstrate that multiple facilities at the installation have been demolished.

"For many years the Tehran government has disrupted international shipping," a senior US military official said. "At present, there is not one Iranian ship operational in the Arabian 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 hit in open waters, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Additional information suggested that a ship from Iran was going down off the coast of Sri Lankan territorial waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Rocket Sites and Nuclear Locations Hit

Neutralizing Iranian missile bases and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were stated as additional objectives of the offensive. Aerial imagery also showed strikes on the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where rocket warehouses and fortifications were hit.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone base to the west of Kermanshah, widespread damage was identified to warehouses, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.

Impact was also seen at a radar site at the Zahedan military airport in eastern Iran, near the frontier with neighboring nations.

Of particular note, the new round of strikes have apparently focused on installations at Natanz – widely believed to be at the center of Iran's atomic program. A global monitoring agency said that the damaged structures were used for access to the facility's underground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected.

Wider Consequences and Analysis

Defense experts indicated that the offensive appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval ability to conduct traditional warfare using its biggest warships. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Tehran still has the option to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, mini-submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.

The overall scope of the destruction caused to Iran's defense facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with hostilities said to be continuing. Photos also indicates extensive damage to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the capital Tehran.

A large number of non-military structures also appear to have been struck in the capital and throughout Iran since the fighting started. Toll estimates from inside Iran indicate that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.

As the situation develops, monitoring of aerial photographs will continue to track the evolving military landscape.