Iran Launches Cluster Bomb Attack on Israel as War Escalates into 8th Day

No Diplomatic Relief as Iran Bombards Israel with Cluster Munitions

Iran launched a missile carrying cluster submunitions into central Israel in what Israeli officials say marks the first use of such weapons in the eight-day war. The Iranian missile reportedly scattered dozens of bomblets over civilian areas to maximise the chance of damage inflicted on the enemy side.

“Today, the Iranian Armed Forces fired a missile that contained cluster submunitions at a densely populated civilian area in Israel,” the Israeli embassy in Washington said in a statement to Reuters.

The attack came amid a fresh wave of missile exchanges between Iran and Israel on Friday. According to Israeli media reports, the missile’s warhead detonated at an altitude of around 7 kilometres, releasing approximately 20 submunitions over a radius of 8 kilometres in central Israel. As of now, Iranian officials have not commented on the allegations.Israeli authorities said on Thursday that the body of a woman was recovered from a building hit by an Iranian missile four days earlier, raising Israel’s death toll to 25 since the war began, according to AFP.

Iran, meanwhile, has reported at least 224 deaths from Israeli strikes as of Sunday. The killed individuals include top military officials, nuclear scientists, and civilians. However, Tehran has not given an updated figure since.

European diplomats convened in Geneva with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday in a last-ditch effort to prevent further escalation. Foreign ministers from France, Germany, the UK, and the EU urged restraint and diplomacy.

British foreign secretary David Lammy emphasised the urgency, saying the coming two weeks represent “a window… to achieve a diplomatic solution.”

The UN Security Council is also expected to hold a second emergency session on the conflict, following a request from Iran backed by Russia, China, and Pakistan, diplomats said.

Back in Washington, President Donald Trump said he would decide “within the next two weeks” whether to back Israeli military action.