Israel’s military says many of the ballistic missiles fired by Iran during recent attacks were fitted with cluster bomb warheads.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Iran launched about 300 ballistic missiles at Israel. Nearly half of them, according to the military, carried cluster-type payloads that release several smaller explosives over a large area.
Israeli officials said air defence systems intercepted most of the missiles fired on Tuesday. One missile with a heavy warhead landed in an open area outside Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem. Authorities said no one was injured in the incident.
Cluster munitions break into multiple smaller explosives after being fired. These sub-munitions spread across a wide radius and can damage large areas. Their use is banned under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, though Israel, Iran, and the United States have not joined the treaty.
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Conflict widens across West Asia
The missile attacks came after the United States and Israel carried out strikes inside Iran. Tehran responded with waves of missiles and drones aimed at targets across the region, including Israel.
Israeli health officials say the attacks from Iran have killed 12 people and left more than 2,000 injured so far.
At the same time, Israel said it carried out fresh airstrikes in Lebanon targeting facilities linked to the Al-Quard Al-Hassan Association, which it says helps finance Hezbollah activities.
The Israeli military also said Hassan Salameh, commander of Hezbollah’s Nassar unit, was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike in the Jwaya area.
Israel said it had also struck several locations in Iran, including targets in Tehran and Tabriz. The IDF said these included command centres linked to security units, missile launch operations, and Basij force compounds.
The conflict is now spreading across the region. Iranian strikes have also targeted US bases, embassies, and energy facilities in Gulf countries, including the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Jordan.
Tensions have also begun affecting global oil flows. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea route used for roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil shipments, has seen growing disruption as the crisis deepens.