Iran has fired ballistic missiles with cluster munitions at Israel, releasing submunitions at high altitudes to bypass terminal defenses like David’s Sling. This strains mid-course interceptors and complicates targeting, with dozens of smaller threats from a single missile, according to The War Zone. TWZ writes:

One of the most striking visuals to emerge in the current conflict with Iran has been videos of ballistic missiles unleashing torrents of cluster munitions at very high altitudes over Israel. In doing so, the Iranians look to have found a worrisome way to consistently get around terminal-phase ballistic missile defenses, especially Israel’s David’s Sling. […]

In some five weeks of fighting, Iran had launched more than 500 ballistic missiles at Israel, with at least 30 carrying cluster munition payloads. Differentiating between missiles with cluster warheads and those with unitary ones is difficult before release, making it harder to prioritise intercepts at the ideal mid‑course phase. High‑altitude releases mean one large target becomes dozens of smaller ones, complicating interception and intensifying the strain on defence systems and interceptor inventories. […]

The Iranian submunition installed in Iranian BM launched at Israel was seen TWICE in the past: In 2016 weapons exhibition and in a failed KHORRAMSHAHR missile test in Iran, 2023. pic.twitter.com/AxCYSDxs69

— Tal Inbar (@inbarspace) June 21, 2025

Overall, while Iran has been using high-altitude releases of submunitions from ballistic missiles to help ensure it can continue executing successful attacks on Israel, it is a tactic that could have significant implications in other contexts in conflicts well beyond the Middle East.

While aimed at civilians, the tactic shows how scattering payloads could threaten large-area targets, including US bases in the Pacific. The attacks highlight the need for stronger layered defenses, mid-course interceptors, and preemptive “left-of-launch” measures.