The most consequential development on 31 March was the United States Air Force’s deployment of B‑52 bombers on overland missions across Iran, a clear indication of total aerial supremacy after Iranian air defenses were reported as crippled. The operation, announced by the monitor_the_situation channel, represents a marked escalation in U.S. kinetic activity and follows a month‑long campaign that has already targeted more than 11,000 Iranian sites.

“US Air Force B‑52 bombers are flying overland missions across Iran after achieving total aerial supremacy due to crippled Iranian air defenses.” – monitor_the_situation, 2026‑03‑31T14:55:34, source

US Overland B‑52 Operations

The B‑52 sorties were described as “dynamic strikes” that included targeting an Iranian command bunker in a night‑time operation involving 200 individual strikes. According to the same source, these attacks contributed to the lowest Iranian missile and drone activity recorded in a 24‑hour period. The United States also reported the use of ATACMS missiles and conventional bomber aircraft against a range of Iranian assets, including a ballistic missile launcher, a Shahed‑136 drone platform, a ZU‑23‑2 anti‑aircraft gun and a Chengdu J‑7 fighter jet (source).

Israeli Air Campaign Against Iranian Infrastructure

In parallel, the Israeli Air Force conducted more than 230 airstrikes on Iranian regime infrastructure within a single day, as documented by the monitor_the_situation channel with footage from the Israel Defense Forces (source). The strikes focused on strategic facilities, including a cancer‑drug production plant and a religious site, causing significant damage to Iran’s industrial capacity (Al Jazeera).

Iranian Missile and Rocket Attacks on Israel

Iran responded with a series of ballistic missile launches. A missile equipped with a cluster warhead struck Tel Aviv, dispersing sub‑munitions across the city and causing civilian injuries (source). Earlier, a separate ballistic missile targeted central Israel, and later that evening Iranian missiles hit strategic sites in central Israel while Hezbollah intensified its own rocket fire (source). No immediate casualty figures were released for the central‑Israel strikes, but the attacks heightened the risk of broader escalation.

US and Coalition Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria

US forces expanded their kinetic footprint in Iraq, delivering 200 dynamic strikes against an Iranian command bunker and conducting a series of over‑land B‑52 missions as part of Operation Epic Fury (source). Additional US airstrikes targeted PMF‑held positions in Balawat/Qaraqosh, destroying militia‑occupied buildings (source). In Syria, Israeli air defenses intercepted Iranian missiles over Damascus, as reported by rnintel (source).

Drone and Missile Interceptions Across the Gulf

Regional air defenses engaged a high volume of aerial threats. Kuwait shot down five ballistic missiles and seven drones in a single day (source). Saudi Arabia intercepted ten Iranian drones over Riyadh (source), while Bahrain’s air defenses neutralised 182 missiles and 400 drones near Manama (source). In the Gulf, an Iranian ballistic missile narrowly missed a US bunker near Baghdad, and a separate missile strike on a US base in an unnamed Middle‑Eastern city was captured on video (source).

Humanitarian and Diplomatic Context

Amid the kinetic surge, humanitarian consequences mounted. UNRWA reported over 390 agency staff killed in Gaza, while US and Israeli strikes damaged more than 300 health centres and 760 schools across Iran (source). India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed eight Indian nationals killed and one missing in the broader US‑Israel‑Iran conflict in Iraq (source). President Trump announced a cessation of US military assistance to allies, urging them to “fight on their own,” a statement that could affect coalition coordination (source).

Overall, the day’s kinetic events illustrate a rapid expansion of high‑intensity air operations, missile exchanges, and drone warfare across multiple theatres, with both state and non‑state actors actively engaging in offensive and defensive actions.