Iran-Israel war: Iran has launched a ballistic missile armed with a cluster munition warhead, striking central Israel in a move that signals its intent to continue and expand its retaliatory campaign against Israeli military actions.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command confirmed on June 19 that Iran fired a ballistic missile carrying a cluster bomb payload which detonated mid-air at approximately 7 kilometers altitude. The warhead dispersed around 20 submunitions over an 8-kilometer radius, hitting areas near Azor, a town south of Tel Aviv. One of the bomblets caused light structural damage to a civilian home—yet the implications of the attack reach far beyond the minor physical damage.
This event marks a pivotal development in the regional conflict, both in terms of weaponry used and the strategic message sent. While neither Iran nor Israel are signatories to the international treaty banning cluster munitions, the deployment of such weapons in an active warzone—particularly near populated areas—has drawn widespread condemnation.
The current conflict erupted just over a week ago on June 13, when Israel launched a preemptive airstrike campaign against Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure. In what Israeli officials described as an effort to “delay Iran’s nuclear timeline by several years,” the IDF targeted suspected nuclear sites and key military command centers, including senior leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The move was met with immediate Iranian retaliation. Tehran unleashed a barrage of ballistic missiles and long-range drones at Israel, some of which managed to breach Israel’s dense, multi-layered air defense systems. Among the targets reportedly struck was a Mossad facility and critical components of Israel’s command-and-control infrastructure.
Despite initial claims by the IDF that their strikes had “crippled” Iran’s capacity to wage war, the intensity and scale of Iran’s counteroffensive now suggests otherwise.
The latest missile, believed to be a modified Shahab or Qadr-class ballistic missile, carried a warhead that split in mid-air, dispersing multiple bomblets—a hallmark of cluster munitions. Although Iran has not confirmed the exact missile model, experts believe it may be a new variant designed to bypass Israel’s Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow missile defense systems.
Cluster munitions work by spreading multiple smaller explosives over a wide area, increasing the likelihood of damaging or destroying multiple targets, especially in dispersed military installations such as airfields or missile silos. The bomblets can penetrate light armor, maim personnel, and disrupt communications and logistics operations.
However, the same dispersal mechanism makes them notoriously indiscriminate, often endangering civilians. The dud rate—i.e., the percentage of bomblets that fail to explode upon impact—can lead to long-lasting hazards for local populations.
Several compelling strategic reasons may explain Tehran’s sudden deployment of cluster munitions:
- Air Defense Saturation: By dispersing many small submunitions, Iran forces Israel to engage multiple targets at once—something even advanced systems like Iron Dome or Arrow struggle to do effectively.
- Psychological Warfare: Using such weapons can instill fear and uncertainty among the civilian population, especially when used near urban areas.
- Cost-Benefit Strategy: Iran may view cluster munitions as a way to exact high strategic costs at low financial expenditure, particularly while facing Israeli air dominance.
- Signal of Resilience: Iran’s use of such a controversial weapon suggests it is not only capable of continuing the war but is willing to escalate it in new directions.
The use of cluster munitions is banned by the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, signed by 111 countries. However, key military powers—including the United States, Russia, China, Israel, and Iran—are not parties to the treaty.
This legal ambiguity creates a moral grey zone. While Iran’s action is not technically illegal under international law it recognizes, the humanitarian consequences remain severe. The United Nations and multiple human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have condemned the attack, calling it “reckless” and “potentially criminal” if civilian harm becomes systematic.
Ironically, Israel and its key ally, the United States, have also historically used cluster munitions. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. dropped millions of bomblets over Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Israel has used similar munitions in Lebanon and Gaza. The new Iranian attack thus opens a rhetorical battlefield as much as a physical one.
Historically, cluster munitions have been tools of major military campaigns, often leaving legacies of unexploded ordnance:
- United States: Used CBU-87 and similar munitions during the Gulf War, Iraq War, and Afghanistan.
- Russia/Soviet Union: Extensively used cluster bombs in Afghanistan during the 1980s and in Chechnya, Georgia, and Syria thereafter.
- Israel: Accused of using cluster munitions in Lebanon in 2006, with lingering bomblets still affecting local populations.
Iran’s deployment thus continues a troubling legacy rather than breaking new ground, even as the implications in the Israel-Iran context could be more volatile.
Just days before the June 19 attack, Israeli officials claimed to have gained “complete air superiority” over Iranian skies. Precision strikes reportedly knocked out several IRGC missile launchers and radar systems. Western analysts interpreted this as a turning point in the war—perhaps marking Iran’s military decline.
Yet, Iran’s continued capability to fire Sejjil solid-fueled ballistic missiles, Fattah-1 hypersonic glide vehicles, and now cluster bomb variants suggest otherwise. These weapons are not only being fired but are breaching Israeli airspace, suggesting Iran has maintained a significant portion of its strategic missile force.
Military analysts warn that this “arms race” between Iranian missile salvos and Israeli interceptor stockpiles could become the war’s fulcrum. If Iran outlasts Israel’s interceptors or overwhelms its defenses with large, dispersed attacks, it could shift the war’s momentum.
Iran’s use of cluster munitions could mark a turning point in both the current conflict and in how future wars in the Middle East are fought.
There are three possible scenarios:
- Wider Deployment: Iran continues to use cluster munitions in strategic salvos, targeting airfields, command centers, and supply hubs—crippling Israel’s warfighting ability.
- Retaliation and Escalation: Israel might respond with similarly controversial weaponry or further strikes inside Iran, escalating the war to new levels, possibly involving Lebanon’s Hezbollah or regional proxies.
- Diplomatic Repercussions: The humanitarian fallout could push neutral nations to pressure both sides to negotiate or provoke new resolutions at the United Nations, especially if civilian casualties mount.
Though the June 19 strike caused only limited property damage, the psychological effect on the Israeli public has been significant. Parents in towns around Azor kept children home from school. Emergency services were overwhelmed with false alarms from citizens reporting possible bomblets in fields and backyards.
The IDF has issued guidelines urging the public not to approach suspicious debris and to immediately report any findings to the authorities. De-mining operations are ongoing, suggesting that the cluster munition attack may have left unexploded submunitions scattered across civilian areas.
By introducing cluster munitions into the battlefield, Iran appears to be moving from a purely reactive military posture to one of strategic deterrence. Tehran’s message is clear: Israel’s assassination of its military leaders and attacks on nuclear sites will be answered not only with retaliation but with innovation and escalation.
Cluster munitions offer Tehran a tool to inflict pain without resorting to weapons of mass destruction, while still testing the limits of Israel’s defenses. It is a brutal but calculated maneuver in what appears to be a long-term war of attrition.
The June 19 cluster bomb attack on Israel adds a deeply troubling dimension to the Iran-Israel conflict. While Israel began this war hoping to deal a decisive blow to Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure, the recent counteroffensive has proved Tehran remains far from crippled.
Iran’s decision to deploy cluster munitions, despite their notoriety, signifies that the war is entering a more dangerous and unpredictable phase. As both nations trade increasingly lethal technologies, the window for diplomatic off-ramps narrows.
