Iran Launches Widely-Banned Cluster Munitions Towards Israel

Iran has launched at least 150 missiles equipped with cluster munitions at Israeli targets, doing major damage as air defense systems struggle to take the bombs down.

Cluster munitions are a specific type of weapon that explode into numerous other small exploding devices, turning one strike into a massive array of bomblets hitting all sorts of different targets. They can be effective during specific tasks, like destroying runways, due to their ability to explode over a large area, but they can also pose a major threat to civilians when launched into populated areas.

For example, the United States used thousands of cluster munitions in their conflict against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002, which collectively contained almost 250,000 bomblets. While they were effective, the rate of civilian casualties was also high.

Additionally, the bomblets are extremely dangerous even after the conflict, as cluster munitions can often leave unexploded projectiles behind. These remaining projectiles are expensive to clean up and can pose a serious hazard to civilians even after the conflict has ended.

Because of these risks, 124 nations collaborated using the Convention on Cluster Munitions, signed in 2010. These 124 nations are therefore banned from using the munitions– though, notably, the United States, Israel, and Iran have not signed the convention.

Usually, even if they have not signed the convention, nations in conflict refrain from using cluster munitions due to their humanitarian risks after their original impact, and countries who launch the munitions are often criticized by the rest of the globe. Furthermore, international law bans the use of cluster munitions in populated areas due to the fact that they indiscriminately kill civilians, and cannot be used in an area like a city to hit a specific target.

Nevertheless, Israel has confirmed that at least 10 of the 150 Iranian missiles launched with cluster munitions have made impact, proving that Iran's new strategy appears to be working. Israel's Iron Dome system, which intercepts enemy missiles with a success rate of around 90%, can only handle the primary missile, as it is almost impossible to intercept the dozens of bomblets that are released prior to impact.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): In the 1980s, the founder of Pringles, Fredric Baur, requested to be buried in a Pringles can. His children honored the request.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself. (Soren Kierkegaard)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Gambit (noun, GAM-bit) - A gambit is something done or said in order to gain an advantage or to produce a desired effect.

In a Sentence: The workers’ opening gambit in the negotiations was to demand a wage hike.

Image credit to AP