Officials have reported that Iran is deploying cluster munitions in assaults on Israeli cities, complicating the already strained air defenses of Israel.
Visual evidence from these retaliatory strikes indicates that missiles from Iran are bursting in the sky and dispersing numerous small submunitions across a wide area.
Just recently, a bomb landed on a construction site in central Israel, resulting in the deaths of at least three individuals. This incident underscores the challenge even the Iron Dome defense system faces in neutralizing such threats.
Iran has frequently been accused of using these weapons in areas populated by civilians, a tactic condemned globally due to the persistent risk posed by unexploded ordnance post-attack.
While Israel usually keeps specific details of Iranian assaults under wraps, it has started sharing more information with the public about the risks of unexploded ordnance associated with cluster munitions.
What is a cluster bomb?
Cluster bombs contain several submunitions that disperse upon reaching their target. They can spread over extensive areas, inflicting significant damage by maximizing coverage, although at the cost of precision.
Initially utilized by Nazi Germany during World War II’s Blitzkrieg against Britain, these munitions are not outright banned under international law. However, their deployment in civilian regions is forbidden by the Geneva Conventions, and over 120 countries have pledged not to use them.
Too many bombs to counter
According to Yehoshua Kalisky, a senior researcher at the Israel Institute for National Security Studies, while Israel’s Iron Dome and other air defense systems effectively intercept most projectiles, they struggle against cluster munitions once they fragment.
The interceptor missiles are tailored to detect small rockets from short distances at low altitudes and have shown success against terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Nevertheless, once the cluster bombs disperse into numerous smaller munitions, the Iron Dome finds it challenging to manage the situation. Israeli military sources estimate that about half of the projectiles launched from Iran since the war began have been cluster munitions, leading to at least 12 fatalities.
Future danger to civilians
The substantial risk posed by cluster bombs lies in the fact that many submunitions fail to detonate upon impact, turning into mines that can later explode and endanger civilians.
The open-source munitions portal has shared several images of unexploded submunitions found in Israel recently. The long-term consequences of such ordnance can be likened to the situation in Vietnam and Laos during American bombing campaigns, where unexploded bomblets remained a threat for years.
Similarly, after the 2006 conflict with Israel, countless unexploded ordnance were left in southern Lebanon. Despite international criticism, Iran has found itself accused of endorsing cluster munitions, with Amnesty International denouncing Tehran’s use of these indiscriminate weapons as a clear infringement of international humanitarian law.
