Iranian missile carrying suspected cluster munition hits central Israel

A cluster bomb is a weapon that disperses dozens or hundreds of smaller submunitions over a wide area, designed to strike multiple targets simultaneously.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Three people were injured, including one seriously, in central Israel after Iran’s latest ballistic missile strike, suspected to involve a cluster bomb warhead.

Magen David Adom said its emergency responders treated a man in his 40s in serious condition in Tel Aviv, a 25-year-old in moderate condition, and a 56-year-old in good condition in Petah Tikva.

Police reported more than a dozen impact sites across central Israel, suggesting the missile carried a cluster munition.

A cluster bomb is a weapon that disperses dozens or hundreds of smaller submunitions over a wide area, designed to strike multiple targets simultaneously.

Critics argue that the submunitions cannot distinguish well between military and civilian areas when used near populated places.

They also point out that many of the submunitions fail to explode, leaving unexploded ordnance that can kill civilians years later

While they are banned by the Convention on Cluster Munitions of 2008, several countries, including the U.S., Russia, China, Israel and Iran never ratified the treaty and are not party to it.