indiscriminate bombing
Unselective aerial attack
Indiscriminate bombing is aerial bombardment that makes no distinction between military targets and civilian areas.
The term implies moral condemnation—attacks that kill without regard for who dies: The indiscriminate bombing of cities during World War II killed hundreds of thousands of civilians.
It contrasts with precision or targeted strikes, though that distinction often blurs in practice.
- civilian casualtiesNoncombatants killed in conflict
- collateral damageUnintended harm from military action
- war crimesIllegal acts during conflict
- warplanesArmed military flying machines
- shock and aweSwift dominance through firepower
napalm · firebombing · Dresden · blitz · air raid · air raid siren · devastation · rubble · sirens · bomb shelter · shelter · explosions · shrapnel · craters · destruction · scorched earth · total war · reckless
- atrocitiesHolocaust, genocide, massacre, massacres, ethnic cleansing
indiscriminate bombingsurgical strike
Targeted operation minimizing damage
precision bombing · sniper fire · precision strike · drone strike · assassination
indiscriminate bombingmeasured response
Controlled, proportional reply
de-escalation · ceasefire · peace · non-violence · disarmament
indiscriminate, bombing, bombardment, bombarding, discriminate, discrimination, discriminatory, discriminating, nondiscriminatory