‘Very difficult to stop’: BBC visits scene of Iran cluster bomb strike on Israel
Very difficult to stop: BBC visits scene of Iran cluster bomb strike on Israel
At around midnight, an Iranian cluster bomb pierced the ceiling of an elderly couple’s residence in central Israel, detonating in their small living room and claiming both lives. The remnants of the attack, still visible in the ash-streaked wreckage, tell a story of destruction. A gaping opening in the ceiling of their upper-level apartment showed where the bomb had breached, causing inward collapse of concrete and metal debris. Across the rear walls, scattered shrapnel holes illustrated the blast’s intensity, which had obliterated the front of the apartment, leaving it exposed to the outside street.
“The first three intercepts were loud, but the fourth confirmed our house was the target,” said Sigal Amir, who was in her safe room nearby when the explosion struck. “There was a massive boom, and I felt a pain in my ear from the blast. The neighbors, just five meters away, had their door torn off and their home buried in dust like snow.”
Amir noted that the couple had not taken shelter at the time of the attack, as one of them had mobility challenges. While Iran’s missile assaults have typically resulted in minimal casualties due to Israel’s air defenses, cluster bombs pose a unique threat. These weapons spread over a wide area, making them harder to neutralize even if the missile carrying them is intercepted. As the war has progressed, Iran has increasingly relied on cluster munitions in its attacks.
Israeli military spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani described the scene during a visit to the site. “You can see the entry point of the rocket that traveled from Iran in a massive missile, breaking into dozens of pieces,” he said. “We’ve had dozens of impact points like this in central Israel.” He highlighted that while missiles carrying cluster bombs are often intercepted, each carries 20 to 80 warheads, which are “very difficult to stop.”
As the conflict continued, another siren blared, signaling incoming missiles. Sigal Amir led the BBC team into her safe room, where the sounds of war echoed. Despite the toll of the war, direct fatalities from Iranian strikes have remained low, with only 14 confirmed deaths so far. Nine of these occurred in a single attack in Bet Shemesh during the war’s early days.
The joint US-Israel campaign against Iran, now in its 19th day, has targeted military installations, oil facilities, and other infrastructure. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana), at least 1,354 civilians and 1,138 military personnel have been killed since the conflict began. Israel’s military claims to have destroyed more than 70% of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers, suggesting a weakening Iranian offensive.
Yet, the constant alarms, which have become a nightly routine for Israelis, and the growing use of cluster munitions have prompted some in this weary population to question when and how the war will conclude. “In recent days, I’ve felt a flicker of doubt,” said Sigal as they sheltered. “The endless sirens and relentless attacks blur the horizon of hope. We must endure, but I’m unsure how long it will take, or where we are headed.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu positioned the conflict as the culmination of a prolonged struggle against regional adversaries, emphasizing his country’s military dominance. He claimed the current battle has already reshaped the Middle East, elevating Israel to a regional and, in some respects, global power. However, this is an asymmetric war, with Iran leveraging US sensitivities over oil prices, casualties, and the vulnerability of its Gulf allies to push for an end to hostilities.
Meanwhile, Israel’s efforts have expanded to the northern front, where Hezbollah—a well-armed Iranian proxy on the border—joined the fight after the assassination of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that hundreds of thousands of citizens have been displaced, and 912 have died in Israeli operations. This week, Israeli ground forces advanced further into southern Lebanon following a mass evacuation order. The US is reportedly considering a deal with the Lebanese government to stabilize the situation.