airstrikes
Attacks from above
Airstrikes are military attacks carried out by aircraft, typically involving bombs or missiles dropped on ground targets.
The term usually implies attacks on enemy positions, infrastructure, or forces: Coalition airstrikes targeted the weapons depot.
Airstrikes can be precise or devastating to civilian areas, making the word common in war reporting and political debate.
Military attack flights
- bombersAircraft designed for airstrikes
- fightersThose who engage physically
- jetsPressurized fluid streams
- dronesUnmanned aerial vehicles
pilots · squadron · airspace · reconnaissance · radar · flak · anti-aircraft · scramble
Sustained projectile assault
- assaultViolent offensive act
- raidSudden armed incursion
- sortieArmed raid outward
- offensiveCausing displeasure or attack-oriented
blitz · attack · mission · engagement · campaign · incursion · barrage · onslaught
Severe widespread destruction
- rubbleBroken building fragments
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
- annihilationUtter, complete destruction
obliteration · carnage · demolition · crater · aftermath · casualties · collateral · damage
Authoritative prohibition or blockade
- suppressionForcible prevention or concealment
- targetingSelecting as objective
- theaterVenue for live drama
- escalationProgressive increase in intensity
deterrence · insurgency · counterterrorism · siege · frontline · warzone · intel · debriefing
Non-military population
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- refugeesPeople seeking safety elsewhere
- casualtiesThose killed or wounded
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
crisis · aid · evacuation · shelter · victims · survivors · trauma · losses
Relating to operations
- targetedChosen for specific attention
- laser-guidedSteered by light beam
- pinpointLocate with exactness
- coordinatesLocation-specifying number pairs
sorties
Military attack flights
- bombersAircraft designed for airstrikes
- fightersThose who engage physically
- jetsPressurized fluid streams
drones · pilots · squadron · airspace · reconnaissance · radar · flak · anti-aircraft · scramble · payload
bombardment
Sustained projectile assault
offensive · blitz · attack · mission · engagement · campaign · incursion · barrage · onslaught · skirmish
devastation
Severe widespread destruction
- rubbleBroken building fragments
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
annihilation · obliteration · carnage · demolition · crater · aftermath · casualties · collateral · damage · desolation
interdiction
Authoritative prohibition or blockade
- suppressionForcible prevention or concealment
- targetingSelecting as objective
- theaterVenue for live drama
escalation · deterrence · insurgency · counterterrorism · siege · frontline · warzone · intel · debriefing · command
civilians
Non-military population
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- refugeesPeople seeking safety elsewhere
- casualtiesThose killed or wounded
suffering · crisis · aid · evacuation · shelter · victims · survivors · trauma · losses · tragedy
surgical
Relating to operations
- targetedChosen for specific attention
- laser-guidedSteered by light beam
- pinpointLocate with exactness
coordinates · accuracy · guidance · munitions · ordnance · standoff
- IraqBaghdad, Basra, Mosul, Fallujah, Kurdistan
- Israeli-Palestinian ConflictIsraeli-Palestinian conflict, West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, PLO
- Libyan WarGaddafi, Muammar Gaddafi, Tripoli, Benghazi, rebels
- conflictclash, fight, war, battle, dispute
- Military Powerarmy, navy, marines, troops, generals
- warfarebattle, combat, attack, war, armed conflict
airstrikesground assault
Attack by foot soldiers
ground offensive · land invasion · ground troops · boots on the ground · ground war
airstrikesceasefire
Agreed halt to fighting
peace · truce · armistice · diplomatic solution · peace talks
airstrikesair defense
Protection from aerial attack
anti-aircraft defense · missile defense · air defense systems · civil defense · bomb shelters