‘Very difficult to stop’: BBC visits scene of Iran cluster bomb strike on Israel

Very difficult to stop

Iranian cluster bomb strike in central Israel

Late one night, an Iranian cluster bomb pierced the ceiling of a residential apartment in central Israel, detonating in a small living room and claiming the lives of two elderly residents. The remnants of the attack, now buried beneath ash and rubble, still reveal the trajectory of the bomb. A gaping opening in the top-floor unit’s ceiling shows where the projectile breached, hurling fragments of concrete and metal inward. Scattered shrapnel marks on the back walls highlight the explosion’s intensity, which obliterated the front of the apartment and exposed its interior to the street.

“We heard three noisy interceptions, but on the fourth one, we knew it was our house,” said Sigal Amir, who resided nearby and took refuge in her safe room during the strike. “There was a massive boom, and I felt a sharp pain in my ear from the blast.” She added, “The neighbors live five meters away—their door was torn off, and their home was coated in dust like snow.”

Though Iran’s missile attacks have typically been intercepted by Israeli air defenses, cluster bombs pose a greater challenge. These munitions spread over a wide area, making them harder to counter even if the missile is stopped. As the conflict has progressed, Iran has increasingly relied on such weapons. During a visit to the site, Israeli military spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani noted, “You can see the entry point of a rocket that traveled from Iran in a massive missile, breaking into dozens of pieces. We had dozens of impact points like this in central Israel.”

War’s toll and shifting strategies

Despite the military’s assertion that it has neutralized over 70% of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers, the use of cluster munitions has complicated defense efforts. Each missile carries 20 to 80 projectiles, which are “extremely challenging to neutralize,” according to Shoshani. While the overall casualty count from Iranian strikes remains low, the recent attack marked a grim escalation. Fourteen people have been killed directly by such strikes, with nine casualties attributed to a single incident in Bet Shemesh early in the war.

The joint US-Israel campaign, now in its 19th day, has targeted military installations, oil infrastructure, and other key sites across Iran. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 1,354 civilians and 1,138 military personnel have perished since the conflict began. Meanwhile, Israeli officials claim Iran’s attacks are weakening, but the persistent alarms and growing reliance on cluster bombs have sparked unease among a war-weary public.

Resilience and uncertainty

Israel’s population remains steadfast in its support for the war, yet the constant threat of missile strikes has begun to test patience. Regular evacuation alerts, which disrupt daily life, and the increasing use of cluster bombs have led some to question the conflict’s end. “To be honest, in the last days I’m losing hope a little bit,” Sigal remarked as she sheltered in her safe room. “I feel there’s no end to it, no direction. We can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed the war as the final phase of a prolonged struggle against regional adversaries. He emphasized his country’s military dominance, asserting that the conflict has already reshaped the Middle East. However, the war’s asymmetry means Iran is leveraging US concerns over oil prices, civilian casualties, and the safety of its Gulf allies to push for a resolution. Israel’s timeline for the conflict is projected to be longer than Washington’s, as it contends with both Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed proxy on its northern border.

Lebanese health authorities reported that over 900 civilians have been killed in Israeli operations, with hundreds of thousands displaced. This week, Israeli ground forces intensified their push in southern Lebanon after ordering mass evacuations. The US is reportedly considering a deal with the Lebanese government to stabilize the situation, signaling a potential shift in the region’s dynamics.