Israel Says Iran Fired Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile
First reported use of cluster munitions in seven-day-old war
Iran fired at least one missile at Israel that scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties, the Israeli military said on Thursday, marking the first reported use of cluster munitions in the seven-day-old war.
Israeli military officials provided no further details.
Israeli news reports quoted the Israeli military as saying the missile’s warhead split open at an altitude of about 4 miles and released around 20 submunitions in a radius of approximately 5 miles over central Israel.
One of the small munitions struck a home in the central Israeli town of Azor, causing some damage, according to Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian.
There were no reports of casualties from the bomb.
Cluster bombs are controversial because they indiscriminately scatter submunitions, some of which can fail to explode and kill or injure people long after a conflict ends.
The Israeli military released a graphic as a public warning of the dangers of unexploded ordnance.
Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israel's military spokesperson, stated at a briefing that the Iranian regime aims to harm civilians and has used weapons with wide dispersal in order to maximize damage.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations and Israel’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group, criticized the use of cluster munitions due to their wide-area destruction and potential impact on civilian populations.
He noted that Iranian missiles can be imprecise, suggesting that Tehran should recognize that cluster munitions are likely to hit civilian targets rather than military ones.
Both Iran and Israel have declined to join a 2008 international ban on the production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of cluster bombs, which has been signed by 111 countries and 12 other entities.
In 2023, following extensive debate, the United States supplied Ukraine with cluster munitions for use against Russian occupation forces.
Kyiv asserts that Russian troops have also employed them.
None of these three countries joined the Convention Against Cluster Munitions.
Israeli military officials provided no further details.
Israeli news reports quoted the Israeli military as saying the missile’s warhead split open at an altitude of about 4 miles and released around 20 submunitions in a radius of approximately 5 miles over central Israel.
One of the small munitions struck a home in the central Israeli town of Azor, causing some damage, according to Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian.
There were no reports of casualties from the bomb.
Cluster bombs are controversial because they indiscriminately scatter submunitions, some of which can fail to explode and kill or injure people long after a conflict ends.
The Israeli military released a graphic as a public warning of the dangers of unexploded ordnance.
Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israel's military spokesperson, stated at a briefing that the Iranian regime aims to harm civilians and has used weapons with wide dispersal in order to maximize damage.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations and Israel’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group, criticized the use of cluster munitions due to their wide-area destruction and potential impact on civilian populations.
He noted that Iranian missiles can be imprecise, suggesting that Tehran should recognize that cluster munitions are likely to hit civilian targets rather than military ones.
Both Iran and Israel have declined to join a 2008 international ban on the production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of cluster bombs, which has been signed by 111 countries and 12 other entities.
In 2023, following extensive debate, the United States supplied Ukraine with cluster munitions for use against Russian occupation forces.
Kyiv asserts that Russian troops have also employed them.
None of these three countries joined the Convention Against Cluster Munitions.
