Israel says about half of Iran’s missiles carry cluster munitions, scattering smaller bombs in mid-air and increasing risks to civilians
JERUSALEM: Israel’s army estimated on Tuesday that around half of the missiles being fired at the country by Iran contained cluster munitions, posing an added danger to people on the ground.
“Approximately 50 percent of Iranian missiles fired toward Israel carry cluster warheads that disperse into smaller bombs in the air, creating additional falling debris hazards,” a military official said, in comments shared by the defence ministry.
Cluster munitions explode in mid-air and scatter bomblets. Some of these submunitions do not explode on impact and can cause casualties over time, particularly among children.
“The radius of the impact is about ten kilometers. Although these contain less explosive material than a standard missile, the impact can still be lethal,” the official said.
Two construction workers died from shrapnel wounds after missiles were fired at central Israel on Monday, with emergency workers at the site telling AFP the damage appeared to have been caused by a cluster munition.
Iran and Israel are not among the more than 100 countries that are party to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits their use, transfer, production and storage.
Both have reportedly used the munitions in earlier conflicts.
During the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025, Amnesty International said the Islamic Republic used cluster munitions at least three times, based on analysis of photos and videos, as well as media reports.
In 2007, a US government investigation found that Israel had probably violated arms export agreements with Washington when it dropped US-made cluster bombs in Lebanon during its war with militant group Hezbollah the previous year.