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A series of US and Israeli strikes has reportedly destroyed or damaged no fewer than 11 warships belonging to Iran starting Saturday, recently obtained orbital imagery reveal, with launch facilities and atomic facilities also being targeted.

Images of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show plumes of smoke rising from several vessels on Monday and Tuesday.

Maritime Fleet Incurred Significant Damage

Among the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos showed black smoke rising from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence assessments suggest that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Imagery of the south end of the port reveal plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of vessels are visibly harmed, with one clearly on fire.

Over at Konarak, photos reveal multiple damaged vessels, with intelligence reports identifying strikes against a half-dozen warships. Pictures from the start of the week also indicate that several structures at the base have been leveled.

"For decades the Iranian regime has threatened global maritime traffic," a senior US military official stated. "Now, there is not a single Iranian ship operational in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."

A number of vessels reportedly sunk may have been concealed in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports suggested that one Iranian ship was sinking off the coast of Sri Lankan waters, prompting a search and rescue mission.

Missile Sites and Atomic Facilities Targeted

Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the hindering of atomic bomb programs were listed as other goals of the air campaign. Satellite images also revealed strikes on the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air air base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were hit.

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

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

Perhaps most notably, the most recent series of strikes have reportedly hit sites at the Natanz complex – considered at the center of the country's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the damaged buildings were used for entry to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.

Wider Consequences and Assessment

Defense experts suggested that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capacity to carry out conventional attacks using its biggest vessels. Nevertheless, it was noted that Iran retains the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.

The total scale of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities remains unclear, with attacks said to be continuing. Pictures also reveals widespread destruction to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the capital Tehran.

A large number of public facilities also seem to have been damaged in the capital city and throughout the country after the conflict began. Reports of deaths from inside Iran indicate that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.

As the situation develops, analysis of space-based data will carry on to document the unfolding military landscape.