A missile launched by Iran as part of a June 19 attack on Israel has drawn global concern after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it contained a cluster bomb warhead.
This marks the first reported use of such munitions in the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, reigniting the debate over the use of these widely condemned weapons, notorious for their long-term danger to civilians.
How Cluster Bombs Work and Why They’re Feared
Unlike traditional missiles that detonate in a single impact, cluster bombs are designed to spread destruction over a large area. A cluster bomb opens mid-air, often kilometres above ground, to release smaller explosives, or “submunitions,” across a wide radius. In the June 19 strike, the IDF reported that the missile’s warhead detonated at around 7 kilometres altitude, releasing about 20 submunitions over an eight-kilometre area in central Israel.
These submunitions are not guided and do not manoeuvre; they fall freely and are intended to explode upon hitting the ground. However, many fail to detonate, leaving behind unexploded ordnance that poses serious risks to civilians for years.
“They are egregious weapons with their wide-area destruction, especially if used in a civilian populated area,” said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, “and could add to the unexploded ordnance left over from conflicts.”
Here's a representative video of how cluster bombs work:
According to The Times of Israel, one of the submunitions from Iran’s strike hit a home in Azor, a town in central Israel. No casualties have been reported so far, but authorities have warned of lingering threats. “Do not touch any fallen objects or suspicious objects,” the Israeli Home Front Command posted on X. “Immediately call 100.”
Despite their danger, cluster munitions are not universally banned. The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of these weapons. Yet major military powers, including Iran, Israel, the US, and Russia, have not signed the treaty. In 2023, the US controversially supplied cluster bombs to Ukraine; both Kyiv and Moscow have since accused each other of using them in battle.
A senior Israeli military official told The Times of Israel that although each submunition carries less power than a standard warhead, the overall threat to civilians and infrastructure is significantly higher, simply because the weapon is designed to strike many places at once.
