It was late at night when an Iranian cluster bomb flew through the ceiling of an elderly couple's apartment in central Israel and exploded in their tiny living room, killing them both. The path of the bomb was still clearly mapped onto the ash-covered debris left behind. A large hole in the ceiling of their top-floor apartment marked where it punched through, forcing broken concrete and metal rods inwards.

Shrapnel holes across the back walls showed the force of the explosion, which destroyed the front of the apartment, leaving it open to the street outside. Inside, a walking frame lay upended on the floor under the ash-covered furniture and rubble. We heard three noisy interceptions, but on the fourth one, we knew it was our house, said Sigal Amir, who lives next door and was sheltering in her safe room when the explosion hit.

There was a massive boom and I felt a pain in my ear from the blast, she said, noting that the couple had not been able to reach safety due to one partner's mobility issues. While Israel's air defenses have historically been effective against missile attacks, the nature of cluster bombs, which disperse munitions over wide areas, presents new challenges.

With the war ongoing, the use of these more dangerous munitions by Iran has increased, putting more civilians at risk and raising tensions across the region. As the conflict continues, both military and civilian casualties are being reported, raising questions about the future of peace in the area.