The Iran War
On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran, sparking a war which impacted the entire Middle East. A tentative ceasefire was announced 40 days later on 8 April, with each side claiming victory.
In the months that followed, Airwars has tracked incidents of harm across the region as violence continues.
This page collates our documentation by location, including key findings and event-by-event records.
Civilian harm in Iran
In the initial 40 day war, the U.S. and Israel declared striking more than 17,000 targets in Iran – a pace of warfare unparalleled in modern conflict.
Over 40 days Airwars tracked 266 civilian harm incidents and has published 62. New incidents are released once they have been fully researched.
In June, U.S. strikes began again after negotiations faltered. Airwars' rapid response team has tracked 34 further incidents of civilian harm, of which 24 have been published.
All tracking data is updated in real time as our teams review and assess initial information, with numbers liable to change.
Civilian harm in Israel and the West Bank
In the 40 day war, Iran fired an estimated 650 ballistic missiles and thousands of one-way attack drones at Israel, while Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired hundreds of munitions from Lebanon.
While Israel’s air defence capabilities thwarted many attacks, Airwars monitored 98 incidents of civilian harm across Israel and the occupied West Bank.
Of these 13 incidents are published, with the remainder under review.
In June 2026, Iran launched new attacks on Israel, though Airwars has not found associated civilian harm claims.
Civilian harm in the Gulf and wider region
Following the U.S. and Israeli attack in February 2026, Iran fired an estimated 6,400 missiles and drones at U.S.-allied Gulf states during the subsequent 40-day war.
While many Gulf states have missile defence capabilities, Airwars tracked 71 incidents of civilian harm and has so far published 65 incidents - both from direct strikes by Iranian forces across the Gulf and falling debris. Many missiles fired at Israel by Iran were also intercepted over other countries - including Syria.
In May 2026 Iran fired new munitions despite a ceasefire, with Airwars recording 15 further incidents of civilian harm to date, of which 10 have been published.
Airwars routinely releases incidents from both the 40-day war and our real-time rapid response teams, once they have gone through our strict methodology.
Civilian harm in Lebanon
Following the start of the war in Iran, Israel's simmering conflict with Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon saw a major escalation - with Israel ultimately seizing control of a large area in southern Lebanon.
To date, Airwars has monitored 1,065 incidents of civilian harm in Lebanon.
Of these 65 have been published, with the remainder under review. Airwars routinely publishes new incidents as soon as they have been researched.
Civilian harm at sea
Immediately following the U.S./Israeli attack in February 2026, Iran began attacking merchant shipping vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. This effectively forced the closure of the Strait - causing a sustained spike in global energy prices.
In the subsequent 40 days, commercial vessels were hit across multiple seas, from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Some cases were declared by Iranian forces, in others the attackers were unclear.
In total Airwars tracked and published 8 incidents of civilian harm aboard commercial vessels over 40 days, with at least 10 seafarers killed. All these incidents are published below.
In May, new attacks on vessels occurred. Airwars has tracked 14 further incidents of civilian harm since the ceasefire.