Iran Launches Missile Attacks on Israel: Impact and Global Response

The conflict between the Iranian government and a coordinated military alliance of the United States and Israel has escalated significantly since February 28, 2026, characterized by major combat operations within Iran and retaliatory missile strikes across Israel.

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched synchronized military campaigns targeting the Iranian regime’s leadership, military infrastructure, and nuclear facilities. The United States operation, designated Epic Fury, was described by President Donald Trump as an effort to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime and ensuring that Tehran can never have a nuclear weapon.

Simultaneously, Israel conducted Operation Roaring Lion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the action was necessary to remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran.

Iranian Retaliation and Use of Cluster Munitions

Following the February 28 strikes, Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles targeting population centers in Israel. Human Rights Watch reported on March 30, 2026, that the Iranian government has repeatedly used inherently indiscriminate cluster munitions delivered by ballistic missiles in these attacks.

Human Rights Watch analyzed 50 videos and five photographs posted online between March 1 and March 20, 2026, as well as six photographs of unexploded submunitions located in Israel and the West Bank. The organization confirmed three separate Iranian attacks involving cluster munitions that affected populated areas.

Cluster munitions are designed to disperse dozens of explosive submunitions, or bomblets, over a wide area. Many of these bomblets fail to explode on initial impact, leaving duds that function like landmines and can kill or maim civilians for years or decades unless they are cleared, and destroyed.

Iran’s use of cluster munitions in populated areas in Israel pose a foreseeable and long-lasting danger to civilians. Cluster munition bomblets are dispersed over a wide area, making them unlawfully indiscriminate in violation of the laws of war.

Patrick Thompson, crisis, conflict and arms researcher at Human Rights Watch

These strikes have resulted in civilian deaths. Human Rights Watch confirmed the deaths of two men in Yehud on March 9, 2026, and an older man and woman in Ramat Gan on March 18, 2026.

Casualties and Humanitarian Impact

The human cost of the conflict has risen steadily since the start of the operations on February 28. Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service, reported that 19 people have died and more than 2,200 individuals have been injured since the beginning of the operation.

The ongoing military activity has caused significant distress among the civilian population. In northern Israel, residents have expressed exhaustion over the persistent state of war, stating a desire to return to the life they led before October 7.

As of April 4, 2026, the start of the Passover holiday in Israel has coincided with continued Iranian missile attacks, leading to sirens and projectiles impacting the region during the religious observance.

Strategic Objectives and Escalation

The decision by Washington and Jerusalem to launch military operations followed a determination that diplomacy had been exhausted. U.S. And Israeli officials concluded that a nuclear-armed Iran presented an unacceptable security threat to the United States, Israel, and American allies in the Arab world.

By March 11, 2026, reports indicated that U.S. And Israeli militaries had been hammering Iranian targets for two consecutive weeks, while Iranian forces and their proxies responded with strikes across the Middle East.

Iranian media reported explosions in Tehran and at various sites tied to the regime’s defense, intelligence, and nuclear programs. The American Jewish Committee stated that the dismantling of Iran’s illicit nuclear and missile programs, along with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is a vital mission for global security.