‘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 midnight, an Iranian cluster bomb pierced the ceiling of a central Israeli apartment, exploding in the small living room of an elderly couple and claiming both their lives. The remnants of the blast, now coated in ash, reveal a clear map of the trajectory. A gaping hole in the top-floor dwelling’s ceiling marks where the bomb entered, crushing inward fragments of concrete and metal. Shattered walls on the rear side indicate the blast’s intensity, which obliterated the front of the unit and left it exposed to the street.

“We heard three noisy interceptions, but on the fourth, we knew it was our house,” said Sigal Amir, who was in a nearby safe room when the attack struck. “There was a massive boom, and I felt a sharp pain in my ear from the explosion.” She noted that the couple had not been in the shelter at the time, as one had mobility challenges. “The neighbors live just five meters away—他们的门被炸飞了，房子像雪一样满是灰尘。” Sigal added.

While Israel’s air defenses have usually intercepted Iranian missiles, cluster bombs pose a greater challenge. These weapons scatter over wide areas, making them harder to neutralize even after the carrier missile is downed. As the war progresses, Iran has increasingly turned to cluster munitions. Israeli military spokesperson Lt Col Nadav Shoshani described the scene: “You can see the entry point of a rocket that traveled all the way from Iran in a massive missile, breaking into dozens of pieces. We’ve had dozens of such impact points in central Israel.”

Another alarm blared as we visited the site, signaling an incoming strike. Sigal guided us into her safe room, where the echoes of the blast still lingered. Though Iranian missiles have caused relatively few casualties in Israel, a single attack in Bet Shemesh earlier in the war killed nine people. To date, 14 individuals have been directly struck by Iranian strikes.

The joint US-Israel campaign, now entering its 19th day, has targeted Iran’s military installations, oil infrastructure, and other strategic assets. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported on Tuesday that at least 1354 civilians and 1138 military personnel have been killed since the conflict began. Israeli forces claim to have destroyed over 70% of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers, suggesting the country’s attacks are becoming less effective.

Despite the strain, Israel’s citizens remain steadfast in their support for the war. However, the constant alarms and rising use of cluster munitions have led some to question when or how the fighting will conclude. “To be honest, in the last days I’m losing hope a little bit,” Sigal shared. “I feel there’s no end to it, no direction. We can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has framed the war as the final phase of Israel’s struggle against regional adversaries. Yet, the conflict remains asymmetric, with Iran leveraging US concerns over oil prices, civilian casualties, and the safety of Gulf allies to pressure for a resolution. Israel’s timeline for the war is expected to outlast Washington’s, as it continues operations against Hezbollah—a well-armed Iranian proxy on the northern border. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that 912 people have been killed in Israeli actions, with hundreds of thousands displaced.