Israel says it dropped 18,000 bombs on Iran in five weeks of war

The Israel Defense Forces dropped around 18,000 bombs on Iran during more than five weeks of war, according to figures published in Israeli media and confirmed by a military spokesman on Saturday.

The data, first reported by The Times of Israel newspaper and other media, show that Israel carried out more than 1,000 waves of airstrikes. Further details on the types and sizes of the munitions were not immediately available.

Iran, in turn, fired around 650 ballistic missiles at Israel, the reports said, adding that more than half were equipped with cluster munition warheads designed to disperse multiple smaller explosives over wide areas.

According to Israeli figures, 20 civilians were killed in Israel in the attacks, along with four Palestinians in the West Bank. More than 7,000 people were injured, the Israeli Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military said it conducted more than 10,800 individual strikes on over 4,000 targets in Iran, including air defence systems, missile launchers, weapons production sites, nuclear facilities, headquarters and command structures.

At least 16 missiles with conventional warheads — each carrying several hundred kilograms of explosives — struck residential areas in Israel, causing significant damage, the Times of Israel reported. In around 50 incidents, Iranian missiles with cluster munitions hit populated areas, resulting in hundreds of separate impact sites.

Israel said it had destroyed or disabled about 60% of Iran's estimated 470 ballistic missile launchers. At the start of the war, Iran was believed to possess around 2,500 ballistic missiles; intelligence estimates now suggest about 1,000 remain capable of reaching Israel.

Iran has reported more than 3,000 deaths from the conflict that erupted on February 28.

The Norway-based human rights group Hengaw put the death toll at at least 7,650, including 1,030 civilians.

More than 125,000 civilian facilities in Iran have been damaged or destroyed in Israeli and US strikes, according to the Red Crescent.

Claims by the warring sides could not be independently verified.

Iran, the US and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire starting on April 8.