Israeli Probe ‘Splitting Missile’ Strike in Tel Aviv

Israeli authorities are investigating a ballistic missile strike that hit central Tel Aviv, with officials describing the weapon as one that split into multiple parts before impact.

The Israeli government’s press office confirmed the incident as a direct hit from a ballistic missile, while a police commander in the Tel Aviv area told local television that it involved what he called a “splitting missile.”

This has sparked speculation that the projectile may have been a cluster munition, which releases smaller explosive bomblets that scatter over a wide area after the main warhead detonates. Israel has repeatedly accused Iran of deploying such weapons in the current conflict.

As previously reported by NaijaChoice News, Israel made similar accusations against Iran during the 12-Day War in June 2025, when Tehran launched hundreds of missiles and drones in retaliation for Israeli strikes on its nuclear and military sites.

Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but neither Iran, Israel nor the United States are parties to the treaty.

At the scene in central Tel Aviv, a CNN reporter described investigators examining missile debris that appeared to have split in the sky.

“Debris still falls in central Tel Aviv even after interceptions. One key piece behind me here that investigators are poring over, one official here telling us that it seems to perhaps be one of the warheads we’ve noticed that appear to split in the sky and send off separate fragments down. Now nobody as far as we understand injured in this location but it’s a sign that despite the fact we’ve seen probably less missiles overall fired by Iran over the past days, it only takes one even with the sophisticated air defences here to cause some havoc in a scene like this,” the reporter stated in footage reviewed by Tribune Online and other outlets.

The correspondent added that the strike is drawing intense scrutiny to determine if it points to an evolution in Iran’s missile technology.

“But across the region the focus perhaps now turning as it’s clear Iran’s missile capacities have come down on their ability to wreak havoc closer to Iranian shores with drones that are hitting around the but the scene behind me here is still one of intense scrutiny as I think they try and work out if this marks some kind of new development in Iranian missile technology.”

Recent findings by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) indicate that roughly half of all Iranian missiles fired at Israel in the ongoing war have carried cluster munition warheads, marking a notable shift from tactics observed during the 12-Day War last June. At least ten such cluster missiles have been confirmed over Israeli territory, according to local reports.

No injuries were reported from this particular strike, though the debris caused visible damage and prompted urgent forensic analysis. The incident forms part of a broader Iranian barrage that has targeted Tel Aviv and central Israel in recent days, amid the wider conflict that escalated in late February 2026.

Israeli officials continue to monitor for further signs of advanced Iranian weaponry, even as interception rates remain high. The development has heightened concerns over the potential for wider civilian impact in densely populated areas.