Iran Hit by 18,000 Bombs in 38-Day War

The joint US-Israel military campaign against Iran began on February 28 this year, with Washington naming the operation 'Epic Fury' and Israel calling it 'Operation Roaring Lion.' The operation lasted 38 days until a fragile ceasefire began on April 8.

During this period, Israel reportedly captured more than 50,000 satellite images of Iranian territory. Based on verified intelligence from those images, over 18,000 bombs were dropped on 4,000 targets inside Iran, according to Israeli military claims.

Iranian officials, however, have not independently confirmed the figures. Citing Israeli defense sources, reports say the majority of the targets were military installations.

According to data released by Israel’s Defense Ministry, satellite surveillance operations intensified throughout the conflict, with an estimated average of more than 1,000 images captured per day. Earlier, in June 2025, around 12,000 satellite images of Iran were reportedly collected over a wider surveillance operation.

Combined, these operations indicate extensive aerial monitoring of hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of Iranian territory.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in April that approximately 4,000 targets were struck during the campaign, involving nearly 18,000 bombs dropped in total. The IDF also claimed these strikes were carried out in around 1,000 coordinated air raids involving roughly 85,000 combat missions.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) separately stated on April 6 that more than 13,000 targets inside Iran were hit, though the figures are not directly comparable, as both sides have released differing accounts of the campaign.

Throughout the war, US and Israeli forces reportedly divided operational zones inside Iran, with Israel focusing on western, northern, and central regions, including Tehran, while US operations were concentrated in southern Iran and key maritime corridors.

Meanwhile, Iranian military engineers have successfully defused an unexploded one-ton bomb in the western city of Sanandaj following recent airstrikes, according to IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency.

The report said the bomb was left behind after US and Israeli attacks and was later neutralized by an ordnance disposal unit. Residents who had evacuated nearby areas have since returned home after the operation was completed.