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Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/29/iran-unlawful-cluster-munition-strikes-on-israel
Iran's Cluster Munition Strikes on Israel Violate the Laws of War
(Human Rights Watch) The Iranian government's repeated use of inherently indiscriminate cluster munitions delivered by ballistic missiles in attacks on Israel since Feb. 28, 2026, violate the laws of war and may amount to war crimes, Human Rights Watch said on March 30. "Iran's use of cluster munitions in populated areas in Israel pose a foreseeable and long-lasting danger to civilians," said Patrick Thompson, crisis, conflict and arms researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Cluster munition bomblets are dispersed over a wide area, making them unlawfully indiscriminate in violation of the laws of war." Cluster munitions disperse in the air, spreading dozens of bomblets. Many fail to explode on initial impact, leaving duds that can kill and maim, like landmines, for years unless cleared and destroyed. Human Rights Watch reviewed 30 videos showing descending ballistic missiles surrounded by numerous submunitions falling toward the ground. Most show missiles with 21-25 objects falling along their paths. Two of the videos show at least 65 objects. "The Iranian government should immediately stop firing cluster munitions," Thompson said.