- Bombs indiscriminately spread dozens of submunitions over radius of 10 kilometers, making interception challenging, military officials say, day after cluster bomb killed two
About half of the roughly 300 ballistic missiles Iran has launched at Israel in the current war carried cluster bomb warheads, according to Israel Defense Forces assessments published Tuesday, a day after the munitions killed two people and seriously wounded another in central Israel.
The data comes as Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel. On Tuesday, most of the missiles were intercepted, but one — carrying a large warhead — exploded in an open area outside Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, according to footage and first responders. No injuries were reported.
Cluster bomb warheads indiscriminately spread dozens of submunitions, each with several kilograms of explosives, over a radius of around 10 kilometers (6 miles).
The interception of such missiles has been effective but challenging, military officials said, stressing that Israel’s air defenses are not hermetic.
Iran also fired cluster munitions at Israel at least three times during the two countries’ 12-day war in June, Amnesty International has said, based on analysis of photos and videos, as well as media reports.
Use of the munitions is banned under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, whose over 100 signatories include much of Europe and Africa as well as the UK, Australia and Canada, but not Israel, Iran or the US.
The current war began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iran in a bid to topple its clerical leadership and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Iran has responded by launching hundreds of missiles and drones across the region, including at Israel. Iran’s strikes in Israel have killed 12 people and wounded over 2,000, according to health authorities.
The IDF Home Front Command says Iran’s missile fire at Israel has been aimed at population centers, along with military facilities and key infrastructure.
In recent days, the attacks have comprised just a small number of missiles at a time. The IDF believes Iran is struggling to carry out coordinated, larger barrages toward Israel.
On the first day of the war, some 90 ballistic missiles were fired toward Israel. The following day, the number dropped to around 60.
Over the following six days, roughly 20 missiles were fired each day in multiple salvos, each consisting of a small number of projectiles.
On Sunday and Monday, fewer than 20 missiles were launched on each day, also in small volleys or single missiles.
The IDF, meanwhile, reported that it has so far destroyed or disabled more than 300 Iranian ballistic missile launchers during strikes — about 60% of Iran’s total stockpile.
On Tuesday, the Israeli Air Force said it struck an armed ballistic missile launcher in western Iran overnight and killed several Iranian soldiers minutes before they could attack Israel.
After the soldiers were identified, preparing to launch the missiles, an IAF drone was dispatched to the area and “destroyed the missile launcher, and then eliminated the launch team, minutes before they were set to fire at the State of Israel,” the military said, publishing footage of the strikes.
BY: Emanuel Fabian
