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

On March 4 and March 15, 2026, Hezbollah utilized cluster munitions during attacks on northern Israel, potentially amounting to a war crime, according to Human Rights Watch's (HRW) rare condemnation of the terror group. The attacks against civilian towns in northern Israel were a response to the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reigniting conflict in Lebanon. Hostilities were first reinitiated by Hezbollah on October 8, 2023, following intermittent ceasefires, in support of Hamas after the October 7 attack.

Cluster munitions are explosive weapons that release many smaller submunitions over a wide area. These weapons have been used repeatedly by Hezbollah against Israel during the March war, though no civilians were killed as a result of these attacks. HRW researcher Patrick Thompson stated that cluster munitions should never be used as they are inherently indiscriminate and can continue to harm civilians long after hostilities conclude due to unexploded submunitions acting as landmines.

Lebanon is a state party to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the use of these weapons. However, Hezbollah, as a non-state armed group, is not formally bound by the treaty. HRW researchers visited Metula in May and confirmed Hezbollah's use of the banned weapon by analyzing impact sites and interviewing four witnesses.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the March 4 attacks in Metula but denied to HRW that it had used or possessed cluster munitions. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also confirmed that Hezbollah fired unguided rockets into populated civilian areas, which are indiscriminate and violate international laws of war. Multiple civilians were killed or wounded during Hezbollah's attacks between March and June.

A witness named Hagai, a 57-year-old resident of Metula, recounted his experience during the March 4 attack. He and his family sought shelter at around 4 p.m. when sirens sounded, and they were instructed to remain indoors for the day as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) cleared his neighborhood of submunitions. The attack damaged Hagai's two cars, broke 12 of his windows, severed two water pipes, and left a submunition on his roof.

Hagai remains concerned for his children's safety, as he fears they might accidentally encounter unexploded submunitions while playing outside.

HRW researchers identified approximately 50 impact craters near Metula, consistent with submunition impacts. They also found a house 50 meters away that was severely damaged and discovered an unexploded BRB1-type submunition from a 122 mm rocket. Although unable to verify the photograph's authenticity, researchers found no prior online version of the image and verified that witness reports of about 50 submunition impacts in Metula on March 4 align with the number of craters found by HRW.