Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday visited the scene of a missile strike in central Israel and warned that Iran’s use of cluster munitions would only invite “more havoc” on the Islamic Republic.
Herzog made the remark during an inspection of a residential building damaged by a missile that struck the coastal city of Rishon LeZion, near Tel Aviv.
Standing inside the wrecked living room of the house, the Israeli president said the missile — allegedly fired by Iran — carried cluster munitions designed to scatter multiple bomblets over a wide area.
“This is the living room of a family where the cluster bomb fell straight into the living room, and you see the devastation,” Herzog said in a statement released by his office.
Images from the scene showed shattered windows, chunks of cement blasted off the walls, and debris scattered across the floor.
Israel’s emergency response service, Magen David Adom, said a woman sustained minor injuries in the attack despite taking shelter during the strike.
Herzog condemned the alleged use of cluster munitions, describing them as “the weapon of the weak.”
“They don’t understand that what they’re doing simply will bring more havoc on them,” he said, referring to Iran.
Cluster munitions disperse multiple small explosives over a wide area and have long been criticised for the risk they pose to civilians, particularly when unexploded bomblets remain after attacks.
More than 100 countries have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions adopted in 2008, which bans the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of the weapons.
However, neither Iran nor Israel is a signatory to the treaty.
The Israeli military has claimed that roughly half of the missiles fired by Iran in the current escalation contain cluster munitions.
