Israel Accuses Iran of Deploying Cluster Munitions in Ongoing Conflict
Israel has stated that Iran has been firing cluster munitions throughout their ten-day war, introducing a complex and deadly complication to Israel's already overstretched air defense systems. The warheads detonate at high altitudes, dispersing dozens of smaller bomblets across extensive areas. These smaller bombs, which can appear as orange fireballs at night, are notoriously difficult to intercept and have proven to be highly lethal.
Public Awareness Campaign on Dangers
Typically reserved about disclosing details regarding Iranian strikes and resultant damage, Israeli authorities have recently initiated efforts to inform the public about the severe risks associated with these weapons. The dangers are compounded by unexploded bombs that can remain hazardous on the ground long after civilians have evacuated shelters.
International Stance and Historical Use
Over 120 nations have ratified an international convention that prohibits the use of cluster munitions. However, Israel, the United States, and Iran are among the countries that have not signed this treaty. These weapons have been deployed in global conflicts for decades, including by Israel during its 2006 war against Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group allied with Iran.
Key Facts About Cluster Munitions
Indiscriminate Lethality and Scattering Mechanism
After a parent munition is launched, it releases smaller submunitions at altitudes ranging from 7 to 10 kilometers (4 to 6 miles). These bomblets scatter over vast areas, from several hundred meters to several kilometers, prioritizing wide coverage over precision targeting.
Global critics contend that cluster munitions kill or maim indiscriminately, with unexploded bomblets posing persistent threats long after deployment. In Israel, the danger is exacerbated as most missiles target its densely populated central regions.
"Cluster bombs don't create real damage to buildings, only people," remarked Yehoshua Kalisky, a senior researcher at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies.
Challenges for Air Defense Systems
Israel's Arrow missile-defense system has demonstrated effectiveness in intercepting incoming ballistic missiles, according to Kalisky. However, if cluster munitions are released before the missile is destroyed, interception becomes nearly impossible.
The Iron Dome system is optimized for intercepting smaller rockets fired from short ranges and lower altitudes. Yet, it is not designed to neutralize clusters once they have dispersed into numerous bomblets, Kalisky added.
Unlike heavier explosives, the bomblets—often weighing less than 3 kilograms (7 pounds)—pose the greatest danger to targets such as vehicles, storefronts, or individuals caught outside shelters.
"They pose a particular threat to the civilian population both during and after use, with victims often including a high proportion of children," states the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Submunitions have a higher failure rate to explode compared to other warheads. Unexploded ordnance can function like land mines, detonating later and causing indiscriminate casualties.
The Open Source Munitions Portal, which verifies publicly sourced images of munitions globally, has released several images of unexploded submunitions discovered in Israel this week.
Iran's Frequent Deployment
While larger Iranian missiles have caused most of the damage in Israel, Iran has been utilizing cluster munitions on a "nearly daily basis," according to Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, a military spokesman. He noted that Iran fired similar projectiles during the 12-day war in June.
The military reports that Iranian warheads contain between 20 and 24 bomblets, with explosives weighing up to 5 kilograms (11 pounds).
Israel's Home Front Command has distributed flyers cautioning residents against touching unexploded submunitions. A public service announcement from police also advised people to avoid contact with any suspicious objects and to immediately notify authorities.
Iran's Arsenal and Design Characteristics
According to the Missile Defense Project at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, Iran announced in 2017 that its Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile could carry multiple warheads. These missiles represent the largest component of Iran's submunition-dispersing arsenal. Iran also possesses submunition-equipped shorter-range Zolfaghar missiles.
Cluster munitions, as seen in Associated Press video footage flying westward toward Israel, can resemble falling fireballs—an effect caused by atmospheric reentry friction.
N.R. Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services, indicated that limited open-source information exists about Iran's cluster munitions beyond state television reports of leaders inspecting missile factories and military exercise videos. However, videos from last week show that some Iranian missiles with cluster munition warheads are engineered to open at high altitudes, scattering bomblets over areas far exceeding typical military targets.
Design features that facilitate dispersion at such heights—including protective coatings on submunitions to withstand reentry heat—suggest these weapons were constructed for less precise application than cluster munitions observed in other conflicts.
"The design seems to scatter submunitions so widely as to suggest it was designed purely as a weapon of terror, scattering its explosive cargo indiscriminately over a wide area," Jenzen-Jones stated.
In July 2025, following the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, Amnesty International declared that Iran's "deliberate use of such inherently indiscriminate weapons is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law."
Global Ban and Persistent Usage
Cluster munitions—including variants more targeted than Iran's—are not inherently illegal but are prohibited by the Geneva Conventions for use in civilian zones. They are also banned under recent international agreements endorsed by over 120 countries.
Cluster munitions were first employed by Nazi Germany, which dropped "butterfly bombs" on the United Kingdom during World War II. The United States has utilized various types in Vietnam, Laos, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and has supplied cluster munitions to Ukraine. Russia faced accusations of using cluster bombs in its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, allegations that Moscow denied.
During the 2006 war in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the United Nations estimated that approximately 30% to 40% of Israeli cluster bombs failed to detonate, leaving southern Lebanon contaminated with hundreds of thousands of bomblets. The U.S. State Department indicated that Israel likely employed American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas during the 2006 war, after U.N. demining teams discovered unexploded bomblets in numerous locations.
Israel is not currently using cluster bombs, according to a military official who spoke anonymously under the military's briefing regulations.
