In Iran's Biggest Ever Strike On Israel, Missiles with Cluster Warheads Rain Down on Tel Aviv

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) missile units are increasingly resorting to the use of Sejjil-2 and, likely, Khorramshahr-4 medium-range ballistic missiles, armed with cluster warheads containing 50 to 70 unguided high-explosive fragmentation submunitions.

Some reports said hypersonic missiles with manoeuvering warheads were used that completely bypassed Israeli air defenses such as Iron Dome and American THAAD. One of the videos shows the moment when an Iranian missile completely guts a high rise building.

The Israeli government has not yet commented on the strike that occured on the night of March 5. 

This is reported by Russian Arms telegram channel.

These missiles, when deployed in mass formations of 5 to 10 missiles, can be very effective against large area targets (for example, airbase runways or US Air Force C-130J military transport aircraft on unpaved airfields). The warheads typically deploy at altitudes of 30 to 20 km, and therefore MIM-104F and SM-6 Dual II endoatmospheric SAM interceptors are only able to intercept the warheads before the submunitions deploy in rare cases.

However, the downside of such a warhead with unguided submunitions is its lower accuracy, not to mention its reduced CEP: to reliably damage the runway surface and the sides of parking lots and taxiways, an entire squadron of IRBM carriers would be required.

Israel has claimed that Iran launched ballistic missiles with cluster bomb warheads, spreading small bombs across the country. IDF confirmed Iran launched such missiles multiple times, including in June 2025 war. Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen also launched similar missiles at Israel. Last Tuesday, submunitions reportedly hit central Israel, wounding 12. Footage showed fragments streaking through the sky after a cluster bomb warhead scattered bombs. Israeli experts suspect Iran got help from external sources, possibly Russia or China.

So far, 123 countries have committed to a 2008 convention banning cluster munitions, but U.S., Russia, China, India, Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea haven't signed. The convention says cluster bombs "kill or maim civilians, obstruct development, impede rehabilitation, and delay refugee return.”