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Israel Army Says Iran Using Cluster Munitions

An Iranian missile with cluster munitions flies towards Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in central Israel, March 5, 2026. (Reuters)
An Iranian missile with cluster munitions flies towards Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in central Israel, March 5, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israel Army Says Iran Using Cluster Munitions

An Iranian missile with cluster munitions flies towards Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in central Israel, March 5, 2026. (Reuters)
An Iranian missile with cluster munitions flies towards Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in central Israel, March 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Israel's military Friday said that Iran had launched cluster bombs "multiple times" since the start of the war that began with a US-Israeli attack on the country last week.

"They (the Iranians) are using cluster munitions", military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said during a press briefing, without providing details on when and where those munitions were launched.

"They've used it multiple times, which is a war crime when it's directed towards civilians and we're tracking that situation," Shoshani added.

Neither Iran nor Israel are among more than a hundred countries that are party to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the use, transfer, production and storage of cluster bombs.

AFP footage from Thursday evening showed a swarm of flaming projectiles falling in the darkened sky over central Israel.

Police did not comment on the sighting, but a military expert who reviewed the footage for AFP identified them as a part of a cluster bomb.

Israel's police had said Wednesday that bomb disposal experts found evidence of cluster munitions after incoming missiles from Iran were detected.

Due to military censorship rules in place in Israel since the start of its war with Iran, impact sites are generally closed to the public including journalists until they are cleared of Iranian missile debris and unexploded ordnances.

Police on Friday also published a public service announcement in which one of its bomb disposal technicians explained the dangers of cluster bombs.

"During the current war, the home front is facing a variety of threats, whether missiles, UAVs (drones), or rockets. I will talk to you about a threat that is a bit less known, but no less dangerous: the cluster munition threat," the technician said in the video.

During Israel's 12-day war with Iran in June 2025, the NGO Amnesty International reported Tehran’s use of widely banned cluster munitions.

The organization had said it analyzed photos and videos showing cluster munitions that, according to media reports, struck inside the Gush Dan metropolitan area around Tel Aviv on June 19.

The southern city of Beersheva on June 20 and Rishon LeZion to the south of Tel Aviv on June 22 were also "struck with ordnance that left multiple impact craters consistent with the submunitions seen in Gush Dan", Amnesty said.

Cluster munitions explode in mid-air and scatter bomblets.

Some of them may not explode on impact and can cause casualties over time, particularly among children.

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World

South Korea to Investigate Ship Debris from Hormuz Attack

This undated handout photograph released by South Korea's Foreign Ministry on May 10, 2026, shows a damaged part of the South Korean cargo ship HMM Namu docked at a port in Dubai. (Handout / South Korean Foreign Ministry / AFP)
This undated handout photograph released by South Korea's Foreign Ministry on May 10, 2026, shows a damaged part of the South Korean cargo ship HMM Namu docked at a port in Dubai. (Handout / South Korean Foreign Ministry / AFP)
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South Korea to Investigate Ship Debris from Hormuz Attack

This undated handout photograph released by South Korea's Foreign Ministry on May 10, 2026, shows a damaged part of the South Korean cargo ship HMM Namu docked at a port in Dubai. (Handout / South Korean Foreign Ministry / AFP)
This undated handout photograph released by South Korea's Foreign Ministry on May 10, 2026, shows a damaged part of the South Korean cargo ship HMM Namu docked at a port in Dubai. (Handout / South Korean Foreign Ministry / AFP)

Debris from a fire-damaged cargo ship said to have been attacked by unidentified aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz arrived in South Korea on Friday for investigation, the foreign ministry said.

Iran has largely blocked shipping through the vital strait since conflict broke out with the United States and Israel on February 28 and Washington blockaded Tehran's ports.

HMM Namu was struck by "two unidentified aircraft" on May 4, hitting the outer plate of the vessel's port-side ballast tank near the stern and causing a fire in the engine room, Seoul, a US ally, said at a press briefing on Sunday.

The Panama-flagged cargo vessel, operated by South Korean shipping firm HMM Co., had arrived in Dubai last week for investigation.

Its debris "arrived in South Korea by air following consultations with the UAE government" on Friday, Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The vessel debris is "scheduled to undergo detailed analysis by a specialized institution", it added without providing further detail.

Seoul said the aircraft involved in the attack "were captured on CCTV footage, but there are limitations in identifying the exact type, launch origin and physical size of the objects".

A senior government official told local media this week that the "likelihood that the (attacking) entity was someone other than Iran is low."

Tehran has denied responsibility, with its embassy in Seoul posting a statement on its website in the days following the attack, saying it "firmly rejects and categorically denies any allegations regarding the involvement" of its forces.

Seoul strongly condemned the attack and said it hopes to identify those behind it through a thorough investigation.

South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy, relies heavily on Middle Eastern fuel imports, most of which transited through the Strait of Hormuz during peacetime.

As a major petrochemicals producer and refiner, the closure has forced South Korea to impose a fuel price cap for the first time in nearly 30 years.

World

Ministers Adopt New Interpretation of Migrants’ Rights in European Legal System

Participants attend the opening session of the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP)
Participants attend the opening session of the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP)
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Ministers Adopt New Interpretation of Migrants’ Rights in European Legal System

Participants attend the opening session of the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP)
Participants attend the opening session of the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP)

European ministers adopted ‌a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights on Friday that could facilitate some migrant deportations, including to third country "return hubs", but which critics say will weaken human rights protections.

The declaration comes amid complaints from member states in recent years that the European Court of Human Rights has prevented governments from forcibly removing foreign nationals convicted of crimes or refused asylum seekers.

The declaration adopted at the annual session of the Council of Europe's Committee of ministers in Moldova qualifies the rights under article 3 and article 8 of the convention, which relate to protection ‌from torture and ‌inhuman and degrading treatment and the right to ‌a ⁠private and family ⁠life.

It approves cooperation with third countries on immigration, including on "return hubs", provided that the countries respect the human rights convention.

It states that prohibition from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment is absolute, but that "the assessment of the minimum level of severity of the ill-treatment that constitutes inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is relative and depends on all the circumstances ⁠of the case".

Veronika Fikfak, Professor of Human Rights ‌and International Law at University College London, ‌said that the declaration's interpretation of article 3 was a significant development and would ‌dilute protections from torture.

"It says (prohibition of torture and inhuman or ‌degrading treatment) is absolute, but then they use words to balance and offer a relative interpretation, but this is inconsistent with the heart of Article 3 - an absolute right cannot contain any element of relativity or balance," she said.

On ‌article 8, the declaration said states can expel foreign nationals in spite of their right to a ⁠private and ⁠family life so long as it is balanced with a legitimate aim, such as national security, and that the European Court of Human Rights would require "strong reasons" to override a state's decision.

The 46-member Council of Europe was set up after World War Two to uphold human rights and the rule of law.

Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset welcomed the declaration and said it would guide the work of the council and of national authorities and domestic courts.

"We have been able to bring together countries across Europe, with different views and experiences to agree a common position on how the system should work best, notably in the challenging context of migration," he said in a statement.

World

Araghchi Says Iran Has 'No Trust' in the US, Will Negotiate Only If it is Serious

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
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Araghchi Says Iran Has 'No Trust' in the US, Will Negotiate Only If it is Serious

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Tehran ‌has "no trust" in the US and is interested in negotiating with Washington only if it is serious, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday, as talks on ending the war remained on hold. All vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz except those at war with Tehran, Araghchi told reporters in New Delhi during a visit to attend the BRICS foreign ministers' ‌meeting, adding that vessels ‌wanting to transit should coordinate ‌with ⁠its navy. 

The situation ⁠around the key conduit was "very complicated", he said. 

Iran effectively shut the strait, which earlier handled about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supply, to most shipping traffic after its war with the US and Israel erupted in February. 

Washington and ⁠Tehran announced a ceasefire last month ‌but have been struggling ‌to thrash out a permanent peace pact. Talks, mediated by ‌Pakistan, have been suspended since Iran and the ‌US each rejected the other's most recent proposals last week. 

"Contradictory messages" have made us reluctant about the real intention of the Americans on negotiations, Araghchi said, adding ‌that the mediation process by Pakistan has not failed but is in "difficulty". 

Iran is ⁠trying ⁠to keep the ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance but is also prepared to go back to fighting, he said. 

The issues holding up negotiations between the two sides include Iran's nuclear ambitions and its control of the Hormuz. Araghchi’s statement on Friday came hours after US President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran was running out and agreed in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Tehran must reopen the strait.