February 28, 2026, saw the most extensive single-day military operation in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Beginning at approximately 9:27am Tehran time (06:27 GMT), coordinated US-Israeli airstrikes hit targets across Iran while Tehran launched retaliatory attacks against military installations in nine countries.
This article reconstructs the geography and scope of the day’s attacks based on reports from multiple sources.
The Opening Salvo: US-Israeli Strikes on Iran
The first explosions were reported in Tehran, where strikes targeted high-value government and military installations simultaneously. Confirmed targets in the capital included:
- Ministry of Intelligence — Iran’s primary domestic and foreign intelligence headquarters
- Ministry of Defence — Central military command facilities
- Atomic Energy Organization of Iran — Nuclear program administration
- Parchin military complex — Long-suspected site for weapons development and testing
- Supreme Leader’s compound — The strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with his mother, wife, and one sister
Residential and civilian areas were also affected. Strikes hit near University Street and the Jomhouri area in eastern Tehran, killing at least two students. Iran’s National Security Council subsequently advised all Tehran residents to leave the city.
Strikes Beyond Tehran
The bombing campaign extended far beyond the capital. US and Israeli forces struck targets in at least 13 additional cities across Iran:
- Isfahan — Home to major military installations and nuclear facilities
- Kermanshah — Western Iran, near the Iraqi border
- Qom — A religious center and site of IRGC facilities
- Tabriz — Northwestern Iran, Azerbaijan border region
- Ilam — Western province bordering Iraq
- Karaj — Industrial city west of Tehran
- Lorestan — Western mountainous province
- Zanjan — Northwestern Iran
- Urmia — Northwestern Iran, near the Turkish border
- Bushehr — Southern coast, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant
- Damavand — East of Tehran, mountainous region
- Shiraz — Southern Iran, major population center
- Minab — Southern Iran, where a strike on a girls’ school killed 51 children
The geographic spread of the strikes — from the Turkish border in the northwest to the Gulf coast in the south — indicated a campaign designed to degrade Iran’s military capabilities across the entire country simultaneously.
Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes
Iran’s response came within hours. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched what it described as a comprehensive retaliatory operation, targeting US and Israeli military assets across the region. The IRGC stated that the operation would “continue relentlessly until the enemy is decisively defeated.”
Iranian attacks struck across nine countries:
Israel
- Explosions reported in Tel Aviv and Haifa areas
- Israel declared a “special state of emergency”
- A ballistic missile struck Beit Shemesh, killing 9 people and injuring more than 20
- Iran targeted Israeli military positions across the country
Bahrain
- A large fire erupted at a Bahrain port facility near the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in Juffair
- Bahrain would go on to intercept 114 missiles and 190 drones over the following two weeks
Iraq
- Attacks on US military facilities
- Pro-Iran militia positions were also struck by US forces
- By March 13, total Iraqi casualties would reach 27 killed
Jordan
- Targeted by Iranian missiles and drones
- Over the course of the conflict, Jordan was targeted by 119 Iranian missiles and drones, with 14 people injured
Kuwait
- Iranian drone strikes on US military facilities
- By March 13, 6 people had been killed in Kuwait, including a girl who died from shrapnel injuries
Oman
- Iranian missiles and drones reported over Omani territory
Qatar
- Smoke observed in Doha from intercepted missile debris
- QatarEnergy subsequently halted LNG production after a drone attack
Saudi Arabia
- Saudi air defenses intercepted Iranian missiles and drones
- By March 13, Saudi Arabia had intercepted 10 drones and destroyed 28 more
UAE
- A Pakistani national was killed by falling debris
- UAE stock exchanges were closed
- Strikes targeted areas near military installations
Cyprus
- An Iranian drone struck the runway at a UK military base on the island — marking the first attack on a NATO member’s territory in the conflict
Scale of Operations
The scope of Day 1 operations was staggering. The US-Israeli coalition struck targets across 14 Iranian cities simultaneously, while Iran’s IRGC launched retaliatory attacks against military positions in nine countries.
By March 10 — less than two weeks later — US Central Command confirmed that more than 5,000 targets had been struck in Iran since the opening day of the campaign.
What Day 1 Revealed
The geography of the strikes exposed several realities about this conflict. First, the war immediately became a regional event — not a bilateral exchange. Gulf states, Jordan, Iraq, and even Cyprus were drawn in on Day 1, regardless of their willingness to participate.
Second, Iran’s retaliatory capability was significantly greater than many analysts had predicted. The simultaneous targeting of military facilities across nine countries demonstrated a level of operational planning and missile/drone stockpiling that suggested years of preparation.
Third, the civilian toll — exemplified by the Minab school massacre and the Tehran residential strikes — signaled that this conflict would exact a devastating human cost from its opening hours.
President Trump later stated that the war was projected to last “4 to 5 weeks, could go far longer.” As of Day 14, that estimate appeared increasingly conservative.