Half of Iranian missiles fired at Israel had cluster bomb warheads, IDF assesses

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Rocket trails are seen in the sky above Netanya on March 5, 2026, in an apparent cluster munition attack from Iran. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
Rocket trails are seen in the sky above Netanya on March 5, 2026, in an apparent cluster munition attack from Iran. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Around 50% of Iran’s ballistic missiles fired at Israel during the war have been armed with cluster bomb warheads, according to fresh IDF assessments.

The cluster bomb warheads indiscriminately spread dozens of submunitions, each with several kilograms of explosives, over a radius of around 10 kilometers (6 miles).

The interception of such missiles has been effective but challenging, military officials say, stressing that Israel’s air defenses are not hermetic.

According to the IDF Home Front Command, Iran’s missile fire during the war has been aimed at population centers, along with military facilities and key infrastructure.

The attacks from Iran in recent days have consisted of just one or a small number of missiles at a time. The IDF believes Iran is struggling to carry out coordinated, larger barrages toward Israel

Yesterday, two people were killed when a cluster bomb munition struck a construction site in central Israel. Another person was seriously wounded elsewhere in central Israel, and several more impact sites causing damage were reported.

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