‘Very difficult to stop’: BBC visits scene of Iran cluster bomb strike on Israel

Very difficult to stop: BBC visits site of Iran’s cluster bomb strike in Israel

At midnight, an Iranian cluster bomb breached the ceiling of a residence in central Israel, detonating in a small living room and claiming the lives of an elderly couple. The remnants of the attack, now buried under ash and debris, still bear the evidence of the bomb’s trajectory. A gaping hole in the top-floor apartment’s ceiling shows where the projectile entered, sending fragments of concrete and metal inward. Shattered walls on the rear of the apartment reflect the blast’s intensity, which obliterated the front section, exposing the interior to the street.

Inside, a mobility aid was overturned beneath the wreckage of furniture and rubble. Sigal Amir, a neighbor who had taken refuge in her safe room, described the moment: “We heard three loud impacts, but on the fourth, we realized it was our home.” She recounted the deafening boom and the sensation of pain in her ear from the explosion. “The people next door lived just five meters away— their door was torn off, and their house was covered in dust like snow.” She noted the couple hadn’t been in the shelter, as one had difficulty moving.

“You can see the entry point of the rocket that came all the way from Iran in a massive missile, then shattered into dozens of pieces,” said Israeli military spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani during the visit. “We’ve seen dozens of such impact points in central Israel.”

While Israel’s air defenses have intercepted most Iranian missiles, cluster bombs pose a greater challenge. These munitions spread over wide areas, and even if the carrier missile is downed, their fragments are “very difficult to stop,” according to Shoshani. The shift toward using cluster bombs signals a strategic change in Iran’s approach as the conflict has prolonged.

Another alarm blared during the visit, signaling incoming missiles. Sigal guided the BBC into her safe room, where the persistent sirens have become a daily reality. Though the war has caused few direct casualties from Iranian strikes—only 14 deaths so far, nine in a single attack in Bet Shemesh—its toll on the population grows. The constant alerts and increasing reliance on cluster munitions have left some Israelis questioning the war’s end.

“To be honest, in the last days I’m losing hope a little bit,” Sigal admitted. “I feel there’s no end to it, no direction. We can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. We must endure this, but I’m not sure how long it will take, or where we are going from here.”

The war, now in its 19th day, has seen Israel and the US target Iran’s military infrastructure, oil facilities, and other key assets. The US-based Hrana reported Tuesday that over 1354 civilians and 1138 military personnel have been killed since the conflict began. Israel claims to have destroyed more than 70% of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers, asserting that attacks on the country are weakening.

Yet the war’s asymmetric nature complicates its outcome. Iran has been leveraging US concerns about oil prices, civilian losses, and the safety of Gulf allies to push for an end to hostilities. Israel’s timeline for the conflict is expected to outlast Washington’s, as it continues its campaign against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group on its northern border. Hezbollah’s involvement followed the assassination of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported that over 912 civilians have died in Israeli operations, with hundreds of thousands displaced. This week, Israeli ground forces expanded into southern Lebanon after ordering mass evacuations. Meanwhile, the US is reportedly considering a deal with the Lebanese government to stabilize the situation. The war’s toll on both nations remains a pressing concern, as the region continues to bear the brunt of escalating conflict.