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A series of American and Israeli airstrikes has reportedly sunk or crippled at least eleven Iranian naval vessels since the weekend, freshly analyzed orbital imagery demonstrate, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also sustaining hits.

Photographs of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, show black smoke pouring from a number of vessels on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Forces Sustained Significant Damage

Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Orbital photos indicated dark plumes emanating from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical evaluations indicate that at least five ships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the southern end of the port reveal smoke rising from the Makran, while additional vessels are visibly damaged, with one clearly on fire.

Over at the Konarak base, photos display numerous harmed ships, with expert review pointing to strikes against a half-dozen warships. Images from the start of the week also show that several structures at the base have been destroyed.

"For many years the Iranian regime has threatened international shipping," the head of US Central Command declared. "Today, there is not a single Iranian vessel at sea in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."

A number of vessels reportedly destroyed may have been obscured in satellite images by haze or plumes, or targeted offshore, and have not been conclusively proven. Additional information indicated that a ship from Iran was foundering off the coast of Sri Lankan waters, resulting in a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Atomic Facilities Hit

Neutralizing Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of enrichment activities were stated as additional objectives of the offensive. Satellite images also depicted damage at the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were struck.

At the Choqa Balk-e drone base west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread damage was observed to warehouses, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

Impact was also observed at a surveillance station at the Zahedan military airport in eastern Iran, near the frontier with neighboring nations.

Perhaps most notably, the most recent series of attacks have apparently targeted facilities at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the core of the country's atomic program. The UN's atomic energy body said that the affected structures were used for access to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected.

Wider Impact and Assessment

Military analysts suggested that the attacks appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capacity to carry out traditional warfare using its biggest warships. However, it was noted that Iran maintains the ability to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.

The full scope of the destruction caused to Iran's defense infrastructure is still uncertain, with attacks said to be continuing. Pictures also shows extensive damage to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.

A large number of public facilities also seem to have been hit in the capital city and throughout Iran after the conflict escalated. Casualty figures from local officials state that many hundreds of civilians may have been killed in the bombardment.

With the conflict ongoing, monitoring of satellite imagery will carry on to assess the evolving battlefield picture.