Hezbollah’s use of cluster munitions against Israel may be war crime, HRW says in rare condemnation

Human Rights Watch stated that Hezbollah's use of cluster munitions in attacks on northern Israel on March 4 and March 15, 2026, may constitute a war crime. The rare condemnation of the terror group highlights that cluster munitions are inherently indiscriminate and pose long-term risks from unexploded submunitions.

Human Rights Watch issued a rare condemnation of Hezbollah, stating that the terror group's use of cluster munitions in attacks on northern Israel on March 4 and March 15, 2026, may constitute a war crime. The attacks targeted civilian towns in response to the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. HRW noted that while no civilian casualties resulted from the cluster munition strikes, the weapons are inherently indiscriminate and unexploded submunitions can kill and maim for decades. The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which Lebanon is a party to, prohibits such weapons. Hezbollah denied to HRW that it had used or possessed cluster munitions. Researchers visited Metula in May, confirming the use after analyzing impact sites and interviewing witnesses. A witness described running to a shelter and later finding his property damaged by submunitions. The military counted approximately 50 impact craters near Metula. HRW also analyzed a photo of an unexploded BRB1-type submunition from a 122 mm rocket. The report frames Hezbollah's actions as a flagrant violation of international law.