Human Rights Watch investigators have documented the deployment of indiscriminate submunitions by Iranian forces against populated centers, raising urgent questions about accountability under international humanitarian law. The findings highlight a persistent threat from unexploded ordnance that continues to endanger communities long after the initial ballistic strikes.

Since late February 2026, human rights monitors have tracked a disturbing escalation in the deployment of wide-area explosive weapons against civilian centers [1.4]. A comprehensive investigation by Human Rights Watch, published in late March, verified that Iranian forces repeatedly launched ballistic missiles equipped with cluster munitions into densely populated Israeli municipalities. By design, these payloads break apart mid-air to scatter dozens of smaller bomblets across vast geographic footprints. This mechanical dispersal renders the weapons inherently indiscriminate, stripping them of the capacity to distinguish between legitimate military targets and civilian infrastructure. Under international humanitarian law, utilizing such imprecise armaments in residential zones constitutes a severe violation and raises immediate demands for institutional accountability.

Investigators documented at least three distinct ballistic strikes that inflicted civilian casualties and widespread property damage. On March 9, a single missile dispersed submunitions across a 13-kilometer radius, striking the cities of Yehud, Or Yehuda, Bat Yam, and Holon. The Yehud impact claimed the lives of two construction workers at a building site. Just over a week later, on March 18, a midnight barrage targeted central Israel, with near-simultaneous impacts recorded in Ramat Gan and Petah Tikva. In Ramat Gan, explosive submunitions penetrated a residential roof, killing a man and woman in their seventies before they could access a fortified shelter. These verified incidents highlight the immediate lethality of deploying cluster munitions over metropolitan areas.

The harm inflicted by these strikes extends far beyond the initial sirens and detonations. Patrick Thompson, a crisis and arms researcher at Human Rights Watch, noted that the deployment of these weapons creates a foreseeable and enduring hazard for local populations. A significant percentage of the dispersed bomblets fail to explode upon impact, littering neighborhoods, parking lots, and construction sites with volatile duds. These unexploded remnants function effectively as landmines, capable of maiming or killing civilians long after the active hostilities cease. The persistent contamination of civilian spaces necessitates urgent victim protection measures and rigorous international scrutiny to address what monitors warn may amount to actionable war crimes.

• Human Rights Watch verified that Iranian forces have used ballistic missiles to deliver indiscriminate cluster munitions into populated areas since February 28, 2026 [1.4].
• Confirmed strikes on March 9 and March 18 resulted in civilian fatalities in Yehud and Ramat Gan, demonstrating the weapons' inability to spare non-combatants.
• Unexploded bomblets left behind by the strikes act as de facto landmines, creating long-term hazards that demand robust victim protection and international accountability.

Munitions experts tracking the recent escalation have identified a systematic reliance on wide-area explosive weapons by Iranian military units [1.2]. By design, these ballistic payloads break apart in the atmosphere, scattering dozens of smaller bomblets across vast geographic footprints. This mechanical reality strips the weapon of any precision, rendering it incapable of sparing civilian infrastructure. Patrick Thompson, an arms researcher with Human Rights Watch, emphasized in a March 2026 briefing that this dispersal method guarantees foreseeable, long-lasting civilian harm. Beyond the initial impact, the high dud rate of the submunitions litters neighborhoods with volatile remnants, effectively seeding residential zones with landmines that threaten returning families.

The pursuit of legal accountability must navigate the specific treaty commitments of the belligerent states. Records show that neither Iran nor Israel is a signatory to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, the primary international instrument banning the weapon's use and stockpiling. However, human rights monitors stress that this lack of ratification offers no shield against war crime allegations. Customary international humanitarian law establishes a non-negotiable standard: armed forces must distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. Launching a weapon system that inherently defies this principle constitutes a direct violation of universal legal norms.

Authorizing strikes with indiscriminate area-effect weapons in populated districts meets the criteria for severe breaches of the laws of war. The legal threshold for disproportionate harm is breached not only by the immediate casualties but by the enduring contamination of civilian land. Unexploded ordnance paralyzes recovery efforts, blocks humanitarian access, and inflicts casualties months or years after a conflict subsides. Institutional focus has now shifted toward the rigorous documentation of strike sites, as investigators work to preserve the forensic chain of custody needed to present a credible war crimes dossier to international tribunals.

• Customaryinternationalhumanitarianlawstrictlyprohibitsweaponsthatcannotdistinguishbetweenmilitarytargetsandcivilianpopulations, regardlessofspecifictreatymemberships[1.3].
• The failure rate of scattered bomblets creates a persistent, landmine-like threat that violates the legal mandate to prevent disproportionate harm to non-combatants.
• Human rights investigators are actively compiling forensic data on the strikes to support future accountability measures and potential war crime prosecutions.

The deployment of ballistic missiles carrying submunitions leaves a lethal footprint that extends far beyond the moment of impact. Following the late March 2026 findings by Human Rights Watch, arms researcher Patrick Thompson highlighted that these scattered explosives frequently fail to detonate upon striking the ground [1.3]. Instead, the duds remain embedded in residential neighborhoods such as Ramat Gan and Yehud, effectively transforming civilian infrastructure into active minefields. These unexploded remnants pose a severe, enduring threat to returning families, emergency responders, and children who might mistake the metallic debris for harmless objects. The wide-area dispersal of such weapons inherently fails to distinguish between military targets and civilian lives, violating the core tenets of customary international humanitarian law.

Mitigating this persistent danger demands an urgent, highly coordinated institutional response. Explosive ordnance disposal units face the complex task of surveying and clearing contaminated urban zones, a process requiring specialized equipment and significant funding. Beyond the physical removal of these hazards, global frameworks such as the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions outline strict mandates for comprehensive victim assistance. While neither Iran nor Israel is a party to this specific treaty, human rights advocates argue that the fundamental obligation to support affected populations remains binding under broader international law. Fulfilling this duty requires providing sustained medical care, psychological support, and rehabilitation services for individuals maimed by delayed detonations.

The lingering presence of these de facto landmines in densely populated centers raises critical questions regarding post-strike accountability and civilian safeguarding. Local authorities, working alongside international monitoring bodies, must urgently map the contamination zones and launch extensive risk education campaigns to warn residents of the hidden dangers. Without robust institutional intervention, the legacy of these strikes will continue to inflict casualties long after active hostilities subside. Establishing a transparent mechanism to track unexploded ordnance and finance recovery efforts is essential to preventing further harm and ensuring that the rights of the victims are prioritized in the conflict's aftermath.

• Unexploded submunitions from recent ballistic strikes act as de facto landmines in residential areas, posing a severe and long-lasting threat to civilian populations [1.3].
• Comprehensive clearance operations and victim assistance programs are urgently required to mitigate delayed casualties and uphold international humanitarian standards.

Followingthedeploymentofsubmunition-equippedballisticmissilesby Iranianforcesinearly2026, internationalmonitoringorganizationsswiftlycondemnedthestrikes[1.3]. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International both classified the bombardments as severe breaches of customary international humanitarian law. Patrick Thompson, an arms researcher for HRW, emphasized that scattering explosive bomblets across civilian zones creates a foreseeable, enduring hazard, rendering the attacks inherently indiscriminate. Although Tehran is not a signatory to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, legal experts and rights advocates argue that customary international law strictly forbids military actions that fail to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.

Defense authorities have corroborated the scale of these bombardments, with the IDF Home Front Command reporting that a significant portion of the ballistic missiles launched by Iran during the initial weeks of the conflict contained cluster payloads. The widespread dispersal of these munitions across commercial and residential sectors—including strikes that resulted in civilian fatalities in Yehud and Ramat Gan—has prompted urgent calls for systematic evidence collection. Because unexploded duds function effectively as landmines, military clearance teams and civilian defense units are currently tasked with neutralizing the immediate threat while simultaneously cataloging the remnants.

Securing a legal pathway for future prosecution relies heavily on the meticulous preservation of forensic and digital evidence. Investigators have already begun archiving dozens of verified videos and photographs showing the mid-air dispersal of submunitions and the resulting unexploded ordnance on the ground. Human rights monitors are cross-referencing these visual records with witness testimonies and geospatial data to build a comprehensive repository of the strikes. This documentation is critical not only for potential war crime tribunals but also for compelling the international community to enforce stricter diplomatic and economic deterrents against the deployment of restricted armaments in civilian areas.

• Internationalrightsorganizationsclassifythestrikesasviolationsofcustomaryinternationalhumanitarianlaw, despite Iran'snon-participationinthe2008Conventionon Cluster Munitions[1.2].
• Military and civilian defense units are actively cataloging unexploded ordnance to neutralize immediate threats and preserve forensic evidence.
• Investigators are compiling digital archives, including verified video footage and witness testimonies, to support future legal accountability and deter further use of indiscriminate weapons.