Iranian cluster munition damaged bombproof room, but those inside unharmed — IDF probe

A cluster munition from an Iranian ballistic missile managed to cause damage to the wall of a bomb-safe room in central Israel during an attack earlier this week, according to a Home Front Command investigation.

However, those inside the shelter in the apartment in Petah Tikva were unharmed by the blast from the bomblet.

The incident apparently marks the first time that a cluster munition has directly hit a bomb-safe room.

The Home Front Command investigation found that the submunition with several kilograms of explosives struck the outside wall of the bombproof room, close to the window, during the Tuesday attack.

The munition itself did not penetrate the shelter, but the wall is suspected to have been “breached” by the blast, due to the angle and location of the impact, the probe found.

“Despite the intensity of the direct impact, the large shockwave, and the amount of shrapnel, the wall of the bombproof room sustained most of the impact and saved the lives of those inside,” says Lt. Col. Moshe Shlomo, chief of the Home Front Command’s engineering department.

The Home Front Command says bombproof rooms are the safest place to be during ballistic missile attacks, especially in new buildings. The reinforced rooms have saved countless lives in the missile attacks from Iran, it says.

אתמול בפתח תקווה קבלנו עוד הוכחה חד משמעית: כניסה לממ"ד בעת התרעה – מצילה חיים!

צפו בראש ענף הנדסה של פיקוד העורף, מספר על עמידותם של קירות הממ"ד אל מול הפגיעה הישירה pic.twitter.com/UBOedXZuBu

— פיקוד העורף (@PikudHaoref1) March 25, 2026