HRW says cluster munitions use in Israel may constitute a war crime
Human Rights Watch said that Hezbollah’s use of cluster munitions during attacks on Metula in northern Israel on March 4 and 15, 2026, may have constituted a war crime. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post.
Human Rights Watch findings
HRW researchers visited Metula in May, analyzed the strike sites, and interviewed four witnesses. The organization said it had confirmed the group’s use of cluster munitions. Hezbollah publicly claimed responsibility for the March attacks on Metula, but in its response to HRW denied using or possessing such munitions.
A cluster munition disperses dozens or hundreds of smaller submunitions over a wide area. HRW stressed that some of these elements do not explode during a strike and can remain dangerous to civilians for years, acting like mines. According to the organization, the use of cluster munitions in civilian areas is a grave violation of international law.
Testimony from Metula
During the March 4 attack, a residential street in southern Metula, near a cemetery, was hit. A local resident, Hagai, told HRW that he, his wife, and their two children took shelter after an air-raid alert. According to him, the family was ordered to remain at home for a day while the military cleared the area of submunitions.
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Two of his family’s cars, 12 windows, and two water pipes were damaged in the strike; one of the submunitions was found on the roof of the house. The military, according to the witness, counted about 50 craters. Although the road had been repaired before the researchers arrived, HRW identified seven craters characteristic of submunition explosions.
The organization also analyzed an Israeli police photograph showing an unexploded BRB1-type submunition from a 122-mm rocket. The researchers were unable to independently establish where the photograph was taken, but noted that witness accounts and the number of craters were consistent with the characteristics of such a munition. For the March 15 attack, HRW used testimony from a female resident and a geolocated Telegram video showing about 30 small explosions near the entrance gate.
The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits the use of these weapons. Lebanon is a party to it, while Hezbollah, as a non-state armed group, is not formally a party to the treaty.
