Jerusalem, 9 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Two dual-national Israeli-Uzbek laborers were killed after an Iranian Missile barrage targeted central Israel on Monday, Israeli authorities said. Authorities confirmed that cluster munitions were used in some of the locations.
The two were killed at a construction site in the central town of Yehud, the ZAKA emergency rescue service confirmed. “These are two Israeli civilians who were killed as a result of shrapnel,” ZAKA said.
The construction site was “a difficult scene,” Magen David Adom paramedic Liz Goral said. “The two victims were lying unconscious and suffering from severe shrapnel injuries to their bodies.” One victim, a man in his 40s, was declared dead at the scene. The second was evacuated to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer in critical condition but did not survive.
Col. Jonathan Raz, commander of the Home Front Command’s Dan District, confirmed that cluster munitions were used. Asked about the munitions, he said, “Yeah, yeah, correct, correct, we have another scene in this area…”
A cluster bomb is a weapon that disperses dozens or hundreds of smaller submunitions over a wide area, designed to strike multiple targets simultaneously. Critics argue that the submunitions cannot reliably distinguish between military and civilian areas and often fail to detonate, leaving unexploded ordnance that can kill civilians years later.
While they are banned by the Convention on Cluster Munitions of 2008, several countries, including the U.S., Russia, China, Israel, and Iran, never ratified the treaty and are not party to it.
Police Lt. Col. Jihad Hassan, deputy commander of the Tel Aviv district, said the two workers were not in a protected area.
“There are enough buildings in the area where it was possible to take cover. If they had done that, it is likely that he would not have been seriously injured,” Hassan said.
During the same barrage, a man in his 30s in the nearby town of Or Yehuda was seriously injured by shrapnel and evacuated to the Sheba Medical Center.
Israeli authorities reported additional impacts in Holon and Bat Yam, including damage to vehicles and open areas where shrapnel fell.
The deaths bring to 13 the number of people killed in missile attacks since Israel and the United States launched airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28.