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What are cluster munitions that Iran used against Israel? What makes them so dangerous?
On Thursday, Iran launched a ballistic missile at Israel carrying a warhead that dispersed roughly 20 cluster submunitions over an eight-kilometre radius in central Israel. The warhead split mid-air at an altitude of seven kilometres. While one bomblet struck a home in Azor, many failed to explode. Israel and Iran are not signatories to the 2008 ban on such weapons read more
A Ukrainian military serviceman holds a defused cluster bomb from an MSLR missile that did not explode on impact, in the region of Kharkiv, Ukraine, October 21, 2022. File Image/Reuters
On Thursday, Iran fired a missile at Israel that dispersed multiple small explosive devices intended to inflict greater harm on civilians, according to the Israeli military and its embassy in Washington.
This marks the first known use of cluster munitions in the ongoing week-long conflict.
'Today, the Iranian Armed Forces fired a missile that contained cluster submunitions at a densely populated civilian area in Israel,' the embassy said in an email to Reuters.
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'Cluster weapons are designed to disperse over a large area and maximize the chances of a harmful strike,' the email continued. 'Iran unlawfully fired deliberately at civilian population centers, and seeks to maximise the damage to civilians in them by using wide-dispersal munitions.'
What are cluster munitions?
Cluster munitions are explosive weapons designed to disperse smaller submunitions — often referred to as 'bomblets' — over a wide area.
These submunitions, which weigh less than 20 kilogrammes each, are released mid-air from a central dispenser or container, and descend unguided toward the ground.
Each submunition is intended to explode on impact, causing widespread damage to personnel, vehicles and soft targets spread across several hundred meters.
They are deployed through various delivery systems, including artillery shells, missiles, rockets and air-dropped bombs. A typical artillery shell may carry dozens of submunitions, while a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) rocket can carry hundreds.
For instance, the M26A1/A2 variant of the MLRS rocket contains 518 bomblets, while the M864 variant of a 155mm artillery shell carries 76.
The United States had produced all three types — air-delivered, artillery and rocket-launched — but stopped producing them in 2008 and has gradually converted its stockpiles to comply with international conventions.
Nonetheless, these weapons were once the US standard during the Cold War and remained in stockpiles for decades. The most advanced US submunition, the M77, has dual-purpose capabilities — penetration for vehicle targets and fragmentation for personnel.
Unlike a 'unitary' warhead, which detonates in a single powerful blast, cluster munitions are designed for wide-area impact, increasing the chance of hitting multiple targets but also dramatically increasing the risk to civilians and non-combatants.
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How did Iran deploy cluster munitions in Israel?
On Thursday, Iran launched a ballistic missile at Israel equipped with a warhead containing cluster submunitions, in what the Israeli Defense Forces described as the first such usage since the beginning of the recent hostilities.
The warhead reportedly split at an altitude of around 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) above ground and dispersed approximately 20 submunitions across an estimated 8-kilometre (5-mile) radius.
The small bomblets do not possess any propulsion or guidance system of their own. They simply fall to the ground and are designed to detonate upon impact. However, in this case, many reportedly did not explode.
One submunition did hit a home in the town of Azor, causing structural damage.
The Times of Israel reported that the damage was equivalent to that of a small rocket, as each of the bomblets carried an explosive charge of approximately 2.5 kilogrammes.
While no injuries were reported from the attack, the presence of unexploded ordnance raised alarms. The IDF Home Front Command said sappers located and disposed of at least 20 unexploded bomblets but warned the public not to approach missile remnants, which could act as de facto landmines.
Brigadier General Effie Defrin of the Israeli military noted, 'The terror regime seeks to harm civilians and even used weapons with wide dispersal in order to maximise the scope of the damage.'
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Why are cluster munitions considered dangerous?
Cluster munitions are highly controversial due to their indiscriminate nature and the enduring danger posed by unexploded submunitions.
The explosive bomblets, when deployed over a wide area, cannot distinguish between military targets and civilians. This makes their use in populated regions particularly devastating.
Humanitarian concerns primarily focus on the dud rate — the proportion of submunitions that fail to explode as intended. These unexploded devices can remain hidden for years, causing injuries or fatalities long after active hostilities have ceased.
Estimates of dud rates vary widely, from as low as 2 per cent to as high as 40 per cent, with US-made munitions generally performing better and Russian versions often exhibiting higher failure rates.
'They are egregious weapons with their wide-area destruction, especially if used in a civilian populated area and could add to the unexploded ordnance left over from conflicts," said Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association.
He added that Iranian missiles tend to be imprecise, making it even more likely that such munitions will hit civilians rather than military targets.
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The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, signed by 112 countries and 12 observer entities, explicitly prohibits the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling or transfer of cluster munitions.
The text of the convention states that these weapons 'kill or maim civilians, including women and children, obstruct economic and social development… impede post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction (and) delay or prevent the return of refugees and internally displaced persons… for many years after use.'
However, Iran, Israel, Russia, Ukraine and the United States have not joined the treaty. While the US halted production in 2008 and converted many stockpiles, it has maintained the right to deploy such munitions in certain conflict scenarios.
In 2023, after prolonged debate, the US transferred cluster artillery shells to Ukraine for use against Russian forces, as Kyiv accused Moscow of deploying similar weapons in the ongoing conflict.
Could Iran have MIRV capability?
In the aftermath of the missile strike, Israeli military technicians began recovering dozens of unexploded canisters and are now investigating whether Iran's missile technology may include true MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle) capability.
While MIRVs differ from cluster munitions, they also deploy multiple warheads from a single missile.
However, each warhead in a MIRV system is capable of being directed at separate, distinct targets and is guided, unlike the bomblets in a cluster bomb which are unguided.
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While no official confirmation has been made regarding MIRV usage, the inquiry highlights increasing concern over Iran's missile technology and whether its capabilities may be more advanced or diversified than previously assessed.
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