In brief
A tragic cluster bomb strike in central Israel resulted in the deaths of an elderly couple and left their apartment in ruins. Eyewitness accounts reveal the intense fear and confusion during the attack, highlighting the increasing use of cluster bombs by Iran in the ongoing conflict. Despite Israel's defense efforts, the nature of these weapons poses a severe threat to civilians.
It was late at night when an Iranian cluster bomb flew through the ceiling of an elderly couple's apartment in central Israel and exploded in their tiny living room, killing them both. The path of the bomb was still clearly mapped onto the ash-covered debris left behind. A large hole in the ceiling of their top-floor apartment marked where it punched through, forcing broken concrete and metal rods inwards. Shrapnel holes across the back walls showed the force of the explosion, which destroyed the front of the apartment - leaving it open to the street outside.Inside, a walking frame lay upended on the floor under the ash-covered furniture and rubble. We heard three noisy interceptions, but on the fourth one, we knew it was our house, said Sigal Amir, who lives next door and was sheltering in her safe room when the explosion hit. There was a massive boom and I felt a pain in my ear from the blast, she said. The neighbours live five metres from us – their door was blown off and their house was full of dust like snow.She said the couple had not been in the shelter when the bomb hit as one of them had mobility issues. Deaths from Iran's daily missile attacks have been rare in Israel, with air defences intercepting most of them. However, cluster bombs disperse over a wide area and are much harder to defend against. As the war has continued, Iran has increasingly resorted to their use.Israeli military officials reported that while they have successfully intercepted many missiles, each carrying these cluster bombs can release between 20 to 80 munitions, complicating defensive measures. The situation continues to unfold, with alarms sounding frequently, prompting residents like Sigal to seek refuge in secure areas of their homes. The ongoing conflict has already led to hundreds of casualties, and sentiments among Israelis grow weary as daily life is interrupted by missile threats and uncertainty surrounding an end to the war.
