Cluster Munitions: A Barbaric Legacy Resurfaces in Israel-Iran Conflict

When ballistic missiles rained down on Israel’s central and southern regions on Thursday night, a familiar yet disturbing term echoed through the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) briefings—cluster munitions. According to the IDF, Iran launched ballistic missiles equipped with cluster bomb warheads, striking civilian centres in towns like Azor, Beersheba, Holon and Ramat Gan. It marked not only a strategic escalation but also a humanitarian one, reintroducing one of warfare's most indiscriminate and controversial weapons into the modern battlefield.

The Azor strike is especially telling. One missile, as per IDF Home Front Command, released over 20 submunitions from an altitude of 7 kilometres, dispersing across an 8-kilometre radius. Several of these bomblets failed to detonate—now lying hidden across urban neighbourhoods, playgrounds and rooftops—posing long-term risks to civilians, particularly children. East Jerusalem, with its densely populated Arab quarters and limited shelters, remains acutely vulnerable. Unexploded ordnance (UXO), a lethal legacy of cluster munitions, now haunts daily life in these cities.

What Are Cluster Munitions?

At their core, cluster munitions are anti-personnel and anti-materiel weapons designed for saturation bombing. They consist of a shell—air-dropped or ground-launched—that bursts open mid-air to release smaller explosives, known as submunitions or bomblets. A single munition can scatter dozens, even hundreds, of bomblets over an area equivalent to several football fields.

Each bomblet is engineered to cause blast, burn and fragmentation injuries. The problem, however, lies in their unreliability—up to 40% may fail to explode on impact, depending on age and environment. These duds become de facto landmines, lying dormant for years and detonating when disturbed.

Historically, the design rationale was to maximise damage against dispersed enemy troops or light armoured vehicles. But the wide area of effect means they are devastating in civilian zones. Unlike precision-guided munitions, cluster bombs do not differentiate between a soldier in uniform and a child walking to school.

A History Written in Civilian Blood

Cluster munitions are not new. First developed during World War II by multiple countries including the U.S., USSR and Italy, they were used extensively in conflicts from Vietnam to Kosovo, from Lebanon to Syria. The U.S. CBU-99 and CBU-100, for instance, contain hundreds of Mk 118 Rockeye submunitions designed for both anti-tank and anti-personnel roles. In Southeast Asia alone, millions of cluster bomblets were dropped during the Vietnam War, and decades later, countries like Laos are still dealing with their lethal remnants.

In recent years, Ukraine has become a grim focal point for cluster munition casualties. According to the United Nations Cluster Munition Monitor 2024, Ukraine recorded the highest number of annual casualties from these weapons for the second consecutive year. Over 1,000 people have been killed or maimed in Ukraine alone since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Yet Ukraine is far from the only theatre of their use.

Legal Status and International Response

Recognising their long-term humanitarian consequences, the Convention on Cluster Munitions was adopted in 2008 and entered into force in 2010. It bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions and mandates clearance of affected areas and assistance to victims. As of 2024, 123 states have joined the convention, including 110 full state parties and 13 signatories.

However, crucial military powers such as the United States, Russia, China, India, Israel, Iran, and others have refused to sign. These countries continue to possess and, in some cases, actively use cluster munitions in modern warfare. Iran’s recent use in Israel adds its name to a list that already includes Syria, Azerbaijan, Yemen and Myanmar.

In 2023 alone, new casualties from cluster munition attacks were recorded in nine countries, with the UN confirming 219 total casualties, including both direct strikes and post-conflict remnants.

Despite global efforts, the world remains divided. While many NATO and EU states have committed to total bans, others, particularly those facing large-scale conventional military threats, continue to argue for their strategic utility. The U.S., for example, has sent 155mm artillery shells with cluster submunitions to Ukraine. These contain M77 submunitionscapable of damaging both personnel and vehicles.

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The Danger Beyond Detonation

Cluster bombs are unique among conventional weapons for their afterlife. Even long after a war has ended, their presence remains lethal. Children often mistake them for toys due to their small, often colourful casings. A moment of innocent curiosity can result in death or lifelong disability.

Moreover, clearance is an expensive, time-consuming and dangerous task. According to UN reports, 83.91 km² of land contaminated with cluster munition remnants was cleared in 2023 alone, resulting in the destruction of over 73,000 unexploded bomblets. Yet this represents only a fraction of the global contaminated area.

Countries like Afghanistan, Lebanon and Laos face serious challenges in decontamination, made worse by limited healthcare infrastructure. Survivors often require life-long medical care, rehabilitation, and psychological support—resources that are rarely available or adequately funded.

A Weapon of the Past in a Modern War

Iran’s deployment of cluster munitions against Israeli urban centres marks a dangerous regression in the norms of modern warfare. What makes it worse is not just the action, but the global silence that follows. The use of such weapons by a state actor in a densely populated area should elicit international condemnation—not just from Israel’s allies, but from all nations that have committed to a world without such indiscriminate weapons.

The danger lies not only in their immediate devastation, but in the precedent they reinforce. If one nation can use cluster munitions without consequence, others will follow. The so-called “strategic necessity” of these weapons quickly becomes an excuse for mass civilian endangerment. And the victims are almost never soldiers—but families, children, and communities already torn by war.

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Time for a Unified Global Red Line

The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict should serve as a wake-up call for the international community. Cluster munitions are relics of a less humane era in warfare. Their use today, especially in populated areas, constitutes not just a tactical choice but a moral failure.

It’s time for a unified global red line—a line that even major powers dare not cross. There must be diplomatic consequences, legal accountability and unequivocal international condemnation for the use of these weapons. The humanitarian cost is too great, and the ethical regression too stark.

Until then, as bomblets lie buried beneath playgrounds and rooftops, war’s deadliest echoes will continue to claim innocent lives—long after the last missile has fallen.