Israel’s Home Front Command announced on Thursday that one of the projectiles launched by Iran earlier in the day was identified as a cluster missile.
This particular missile carried a warhead filled with multiple submunitions, each containing 2.5 kilograms of explosive material.
Officials explained that the missile fragmented while still airborne, breaking apart at an altitude of 7 kilometers. The submunitions then scattered across an area with a radius of 8 kilometers. According to the Home Front Command, this type of weapon is designed to release its payload upon ground impact using a specific triggering mechanism.
The disintegration took place over the city of Azor, situated southeast of Tel Aviv. Authorities also warned that some of the submunitions that landed during the morning attack failed to detonate, classifying them as duds. These unexploded devices pose a major safety threat. Citizens were strongly urged to avoid contact and to notify bomb squad personnel immediately.
Thursday’s missile assault, involving a large wave of rockets launched by Iran, inflicted damage on Soroka Medical Center and struck various locations in Tel Aviv, Holon, and Ramat Gan.
Some of the missiles were intercepted by Israel’s defense systems, but this particular wave was the most intense attack in the past two days. Magen David Adom reported that 89 individuals were injured by the missile impacts in the Gush Dan region, with six victims in critical condition.
Police released video footage from the Ramat Gan stock exchange area, showing the aftermath of the Iranian missile strike. The visuals depicted extensive destruction, including a severely damaged three-story structure and a nearby office tower.
The videos also captured emergency teams, including firefighters and police, working to rescue people trapped inside damaged residences. In several instances, rescue personnel were forced to break into apartments out of fear that people might be stuck inside.
{Matzav.com Israel}