Cluster Bombs In Action: Iran's Use of Deadly Munitions Against Israel
Iran allegedly employed a missile equipped with cluster munitions during a recent assault, as reported by Israeli authorities.
Step into the hot zone as Iran fired a barrage of ballistic rockets towards Israel, employing cluster munitions in their attack arsenal. With more than 60 people injured and three of them critically, the ambiance was far from serene. Targeted locations expanded beyond Soroka Hospital in Beersheba to various buildings in cities like Ramat Gan and Holon near Tel Aviv.
However, it's not just Israel and Iran under the limelight—cluster munitions have also been causing trouble in the ongoing Russian invasion war, involving both nations. The munitions, globally torn apart by many countries due to their hazardous nature, indiscriminately distribute explosive devices, creating chaos and potential harm for civilians.
Iran taunted Israel again in the wee hours with their cluster munition-laden rockets. The warhead split in the atmosphere at a height of approximately seven kilometers, scattering around 20 smaller, explosive devices over an eight-kilometer radius. These dissipated bombs softly fall to the ground without guidance or propulsion, detonating upon impact with an estimated 2.5 kilograms of explosive material in each one. The sheer number and unpredictable descending pattern of these mini-bombs have made them a global concern.
One such bomb found its way through a house in Azor, near Tel Aviv, causing minor destruction upon impact, similar to that of a small rocket. Unfortunately, the scattered debris remains a threat as unexploded pieces are difficult to detect and dispose of, creating a persistent hazard for both the civilian population and rescue workers.
Cluster munitions, due to their wide-area impact and high failure rate, pose ethical and legal dilemmas. Children, in particular, are at risk of injury or death as these hidden explosives can linger for years after a conflict has ended. Plenty of countries have joined forces to ban these deadly weapons with the Convention on Cluster Munitions treaty, but neither Iran nor Israel is among them.
It's crucial to question the use of such hazardous weapons in densely populated areas. Their unpredictable nature and the remnants they leave behind create a significant threat to civilians, raising valid ethical and legal concerns. The international community is adamant in rejecting these cluster munitions due to their unrelenting consequences that haunt long after the conflict has subsided.
Sources:
- ntv.de
- lme
- The New York Times
- CNN
- Human Rights Watch
- Amnesty International
The Commission has also been consulted on the draft directive regarding the global concerns surrounding the use of cluster munitions in war-and-conflicts, as these weapons are often associated with politics and general-news. This dispute, between countries like Israel and Iran, has expanded beyond military targets and into civilian areas, raising crime-and-justice issues due to the indiscriminate harm and potential lethal aftermath of these munitions.
