For first time, Iran uses ballistic missile with cluster warhead in Thursday attack on central Israel

The IDF announced on Thursday that during the morning missile assault on Israel, the Iranian regime used a ballistic missile with a cluster warhead for the first time during the war.

The cluster warhead contains many, smaller explosive warheads, which spread out and bombard a large area.

הבוקר חווינו פגיעה של טיל בעל יכולת פיזור של חימושים קטנים המתפזרים בשטח רחב יחסית.

יתכן שחלק מהחימושים יישארו על הקרקע ולא יתפוצצו.

לא נוגעים בנפלים או בחפץ חשוד, מיד מתקשרים 100. pic.twitter.com/5zzBW72Oww

— פיקוד העורף (@PikudHaoref1) June 19, 2025

Bomb disposal squads were dispatched to various fallout scenes of the munitions that were scattered across the Dan area, including in Or Yehuda, Yaffa, Savyon, Azor and others, Army Radio reported.

After investigations by IDF Home Front Command and the Israeli Air Force (IAF), which is responsible for air defense, the suspicions were confirmed.

“It is the same missile with a different warhead, and the behavior is exactly the same,” army sources told Israel Hayom. “It’s enough to enter the shelter [to stay safe]. It is a bomb with an impact fuse, like a cannon shell, only smaller.”

The Iranian regime launched some 20 missiles toward Israel on Thursday morning, four of which impacted on Israeli soil.

One of the small bombs hit a house in Azor, causing damage similar to that of a small rocket.

Other hits were registered in Ramat Gan, Holon, and Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, wounding over 200 people – including four in serious and 16 in moderate condition.

Once the cluster ballistic missile is around 7 kilometers (a little more than 4 miles) from impact, it breaks open and disperses some 20 smaller bombs, which spread across an area of about 8 square kilometers.

According to the Home Front Command, these smaller bombs weigh some 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) and they are equipped with impact fuses, exploding upon contact with the ground.

“The threat is broader geographically, but much smaller in scale than the warheads of ballistic missiles, which typically weigh around 400 kg,” the IDF said.

The military emphasized that while it was the first use during the war, these types of missiles had been known beforehand.

The damage caused by the smaller warheads is similar to a short-range Hezbollah rocket, the army said, reiterating that entering a regular shelter, safe room or bunker remains sufficient for safety.

The larger ballistic missiles can have warheads of up to 700-900 kilograms (1,550-2,000 pounds) and are much more dangerous. A direct impact by a missile on a safe room in Petah Tikvah killed two Israelis this week, the first incident where people were killed despite following safety instructions and taking shelter.

Following the attack, the Home Front Command quickly launched an awareness campaign to inform the Israeli public about the new type of threat.

It reiterated that protective instructions remained the same, as the smaller bombs cause less damage.

However, the IDF stressed that the use of these types of missiles often leads to the dispersal of many unexploded ordnance.

Therefore, in the event that such a shell is spotted, the Israeli public has been instructed to keep a distance, prevent touching or moving it, and to immediately contact authorities.