Iran fires cluster bomb warhead at central Israel — homes hit and burning in Rehovot, multiple impact sites

Iran fired a ballistic missile carrying a cluster bomb warhead at central Israel on Day 21 (Friday, March 20), in a significant escalation of weapon type. The submunitions impacted homes in the central city of Rehovot — at least one home was set on fire following apparent cluster munition impact, rescue services reported. Several other impact sites were reported in central Israel from bomblets or falling fragments. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The IDF assessed the Iranian missile as carrying a cluster bomb warhead, marking the first confirmed use of cluster munitions in the Iran war. Cluster munitions, which disperse many smaller submunitions over a wide area, are banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) — though neither Iran nor Israel are signatories. Their use against civilian-populated areas raises serious humanitarian law concerns and represents a qualitative escalation beyond the single-warhead ballistic missiles Iran has been firing throughout the war. Rehovot is a major civilian city in Israel's central district with approximately 160,000 residents and is home to the Weizmann Institute of Science. The cluster munition strike in a populated civilian area will likely draw sharp international condemnation and pressure on Iran from states already pushing for de-escalation.