Iran's attack on the towns of Arad and Dimona near Israel's nuclear facilities has raised serious questions about Israel's defense strategy.

Iran attacked the towns of Arad and Dimona, located near Israel's nuclear research center. Iran said this was a response to Israel's attack on its nuclear facility in Isfahan province.

The attack on Saturday left at least 180 people injured, and hundreds have been evacuated from strategic locations. It seems that the war between Israel and the United States is entering a more deadly new phase.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had "a very difficult night in a battle for the future." According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, at least 4,564 people have been injured in Israel since the war began on February 28.

Analysts point out that while Israel frequently conducts military operations in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, and other areas, it is rare for Israeli citizens to feel the impact of war as they have in the past three weeks.

In Palestinian territories including Gaza, Israeli forces have used disproportionate force against armed groups, which have retaliated by firing crude rockets into Israel. Scholars and human rights organizations have characterized Israel's war in Gaza as genocide.

The attacks on Arad and Dimona on Saturday caused massive casualties, raising questions about whether Israel underestimated Iran's military strength.

What weapons does Iran use?

Defense analysts say Iran's missile program is the largest and most diverse in the Middle East. The program has developed over decades, covering ballistic and cruise missiles, aiming to give Tehran the ability to strike even without a modern air force.

Iran possesses short-range and medium-range missile systems, as well as long-range land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles.

Iran's short-range ballistic missiles have a range of approximately 150 to 800 kilometers (93 to 500 miles), primarily used for striking nearby military targets and rapid regional strikes.

Its core systems include the Fateh series missiles: Zolfaghar, Qiam-1, and earlier Shahab-1/2 missiles. In times of crisis, shorter ranges can actually be an advantage. These missiles can be launched in salvoes, reducing warning time, making it harder for the enemy to strike first.

These medium-range missile systems include the Shahab-3, Emad, Ghadr-1, Khorramshahr series, and Sejjil missiles. They also have newer missiles such as Kheibar Shekan and Haj Qassem.

Iran's land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles include the Soumar, Ya-Ali, and Quds series missiles, as well as the Hoveyzeh, Paveh, and Ra’ad missiles.

The longest-range ballistic missile, Soumar, has a range of 2,000 to 2,500 kilometers (1,243 to 1,553 miles). However, it is reported that Iran fired two missiles toward Diego Garcia island on Thursday night or early Friday. Diego Garcia is a U.S.-U.K. joint military base located in the Indian Ocean, 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) from Iran. The British side claimed the attack failed, and an Iranian official denied launching the missiles.

Former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei previously limited Iran's missile range to 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles), but this limit was lifted after Israel's 12-day war against Iran last June. The U.S. also joined Israel's war and launched a one-day attack on three major Iranian nuclear facilities.

"Iran also used cluster munitions in its attack on Israel. Every type of warhead Iran has includes cluster munitions," Uzi Rubin, director of Israel's missile defense program and senior researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic & Security Studies, told the American news agency "Media Matters."

What are cluster munitions or cluster bombs?

Cluster bombs do not carry a single explosive payload, but instead scatter multiple submunitions.

"The missile warhead is not filled with a large amount of explosives, but rather a device that can hold many small bombs. When the missile approaches the target, the warhead casing opens, peels off, and rotates, releasing the submunitions, which spread into space and eventually fall to the ground," Rubin told "Media Matters."

He also added that Iran's cluster munitions may contain 20 to 30 submunitions, or 70 to 80 submunitions, depending on the missile model.

These munitions are not unfamiliar to Iran. It is reported that Iran also used cluster munitions during the 12-day war.

Amnesty International claims that Iran's use of cluster munitions during the war violates international humanitarian law, and Israel has also been accused of using cluster bombs in Lebanon.

Cluster munitions were banned when the Convention on Cluster Munitions was adopted in 2008. Both Iran and Israel have not signed the convention.

Why are they having an effect now?

A Israeli military spokesperson said that although Israel's air defense system was activated, it failed to intercept some of the Iranian missiles attacking Arad and Dimona. He said that Iran's weapons "are not special or unfamiliar," and an investigation is currently underway.

So why are these cluster munitions having an effect now? There are several reasons.

To intercept a ballistic missile equipped with cluster munitions, it must be intercepted before the payload opens and releases the submunitions. Once the payload opens, the missile's attack target changes from a single point to multiple points, making it harder to intercept.

On Thursday, The Israel Times reported that the Israeli Air Force would begin conserving intercept missiles. According to reports, military officials at the time said that if civilians had taken shelter, Iranian cluster bombs were unlikely to cause significant damage, so they could avoid shooting down some missiles.

What will happen next?

In the next phase of the war, Iran, the U.S., and Israel may continue targeting key infrastructure.

According to the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran's Natanz nuclear facility on Saturday. The facility is located in central Iran, one of the country's most important uranium enrichment sites, approximately 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran.

Analysts say that if the U.S. attacks Iran's power plants, Iran is likely to retaliate.

In response, Iran attacked Arad and Dimona, which are home to Israel's main nuclear facilities.

Israel previously attacked fuel storage facilities in Tehran, causing large amounts of toxic smoke to fill the air above the capital. The U.S. previously attacked Iran's oil export hub, Kharg Island, and threatened to attack again.

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz - a crucial chokepoint for global shipping and oil transport - and attacked military bases and critical energy infrastructure in Gulf Arab countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and threatened that if Iran did not comply, the U.S. would strike energy infrastructure.

"If Iran does not fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours from now and does not make any threats, the United States will strike and destroy its power plants, starting with the largest ones first," Trump wrote on Truth Social at 23:44 GMT on Saturday.

Sources: Al Jazeera

Original: toutiao.com/article/7620240792879235590/

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