Iranian Cluster Missile Strike Kills Two Workers in Central Israel

Two construction workers were killed and several others wounded Monday when an Iranian missile carrying a cluster warhead struck central Israel, scattering fragments across multiple cities in the Gush Dan region.

The strike created multiple impact sites across the area, with emergency services responding to scenes in Yehud, Or Yehuda, Holon, and Bat Yam. Israeli media and police said the missile appears to have carried a cluster warhead that dispersed numerous smaller munitions, causing damage across at least six locations.

The deadliest scene was at a construction site in Yehud, where two workers around 40 years old suffered severe shrapnel wounds after fragments from the missile strike hit the area.

"Immediately after the sirens, we received reports at MDA about several scenes in central Israel and were dispatched to search them all. One of the scenes in central Israel was at a construction site. It was a difficult scene. The two casualties were lying unconscious and suffering from severe shrapnel injuries to their bodies," Magen David Adom paramedic Liz Goral said.

"After performing resuscitation efforts, we had to pronounce the death of a man approximately 40-years-old, and we evacuated the second casualty in serious condition by Mobile Intensive Care Unit to the hospital." Rescue teams said the second man later died of his injuries.

Another man, about 30 years old, was seriously wounded by shrapnel at a separate scene in Or Yehuda and was evacuated to Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. Several additional people were reported lightly injured in other locations as fragments from the strike landed across the region.

MDA paramedic Noam Dahan, who was among the first responders at the Yehud construction site, described the rescue operation. "This was a complex scene. One of the casualties had no pulse and was not breathing after severe injuries caused by interception fragments. We performed medical checks but he showed no signs of life and we had to pronounce him dead. The second casualty was seriously wounded, also from interception fragments. We gave him life-saving treatment and evacuated him to the hospital."

Residents described hearing a powerful blast moments after the warning sirens. "I heard the siren, and two minutes later there was a huge explosion. I immediately understood it was close. I went outside and saw shrapnel scattered everywhere," one witness said.

Another construction worker who was nearby described the danger posed by the cluster munition fragments. "When the cluster missile splits, its fragments are extremely dangerous. It’s a miracle I survived."

Images from the impact sites showed widespread debris and damage to buildings and public areas. In Holon, a fragment struck a basketball hall, while other debris caused damage to structures and vehicles in surrounding neighborhoods.

Local officials warned that the incident demonstrated the destructive potential of cluster-style munitions. "We are seeing the significant damage caused by the cluster missiles and once again understand how important it is to follow Home Front Command instructions closely," Holon Mayor Shai Kinan said.

The strike came as Israel’s war with Iran entered its second week under Operation Roaring Lion. Although the number of missiles fired daily by Iran has dropped from roughly 100 earlier in the conflict to around 10 per day, sirens have continued to sound across Israel as Iranian forces launch intermittent barrages.