India, June 20 -- Israel on Thursday claimed that Iran fired at least one missile that scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties. This is the first reported use of cluster munitions in the seven-day-old war.

Cluster bombs are part of cluster munitions that consists of a hollow shell that is dropped from the air or fired from the ground. It breaks open in mid-air and releases smaller bombs, or submunitions, that can number in the hundreds and reach areas as wide as several football fields. Cluster munition scatter smaller bombs in large areas, some of which may not explode, posing deadly risks to civilians long after the fighting ends. As some of the cluster bomb may remain unexploded, they can kill or maim civi...