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A series of American and Israeli airstrikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged no fewer than eleven Iranian naval vessels starting Saturday, recently obtained orbital imagery demonstrate, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also being targeted.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show smoke billowing from a number of ships on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Assets Incurred Major Losses

Among the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery displayed black smoke rising from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence evaluations state that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Photos of the south end of the port depict smoke emanating from the Makran, while two other ships seem to be impacted, with one visibly ablaze.

Over at Konarak, photos show multiple stricken vessels, with intelligence reports identifying impacts on a half-dozen warships. Pictures taken on Monday also demonstrate that several structures at the installation have been destroyed.

"For a long time the Tehran government has threatened global maritime traffic," an American commander stated. "Now, there is not one Iranian vessel underway in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."

A number of ships reportedly sunk may have been concealed in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports stated that an Iranian vessel was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, leading to a rescue operation.

Rocket Sites and Nuclear Locations Hit

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the stopping atomic bomb programs were declared as additional goals of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also depicted impacts against the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were targeted.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread damage was observed to storage buildings, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

Damage was also observed at a radar installation at the Zahedan military airport in eastern Iran, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Perhaps most notably, the latest wave of strikes have reportedly focused on sites at Natanz – widely believed to be at the heart of the country's atomic program. An international watchdog commented that the damaged structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was likely.

Broader Fallout and Assessment

Observers stated that the offensive appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capacity to conduct traditional warfare using its most significant warships. However, it was emphasised that Iran retains the capacity to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of oil ships.

The total extent of the destruction caused to Iran's defense facilities remains unclear, with attacks said to be continuing. Imagery also shows widespread destruction to the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the capital Tehran.

Numerous of non-military structures also appear to have been damaged in the capital and throughout Iran after the fighting began. Toll estimates from local officials state that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been killed in the bombardment.

As the situation develops, review of aerial photographs will carry on to track the unfolding battlefield picture.