Iranian cluster munitions impact throughout central Israel — damage reported, no injuries

Iranian cluster munitions impacted throughout central Israel in the afternoon hours of Day 18, following the IDF's announcement that it had killed Ali Larijani, Iran's de facto leader. The Times of Israel confirmed damage across central Israeli communities with no injuries reported at time of filing. The use of cluster munitions represents a tactical escalation from Iran's standard ballistic missile barrage approach. Cluster munitions disperse submunitions over a wider area than a single warhead, increasing the footprint of each strike and complicating emergency response. Their use against civilian areas is prohibited under international humanitarian law for signatory states. The attack appears to be Iran's direct retaliatory response to the IDF's Larijani announcement — coming within hours of Israel's claim to have killed its de facto leader. Israel continues parallel strikes on Tehran in the same window.