The explosion of a cluster munition during a high school hiking trip along a trail on the Ramim Ridge, allegedly approved by the authorities, had tragic consequences: the death of 14-year-old Elazar Yair Wilensky, and injuries to several other students.
What exactly are cluster munitions, and what makes them so deadly?
The explosion was caused by an unexploded cluster submunition launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah during the war. Throughout the war against Iran and Hezbollah, Israel came under attack from a wide range of ballistic missiles and rockets. Iran and Hezbollah used two types of ballistic missiles. The first carries a warhead containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives. When the missile strikes its intended target, the explosion, the resulting blast waves, and the kinetic impact cause concentrated damage to the target and its immediate surroundings.
The second type is equipped with a warhead containing a canister filled with dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of small explosive devices known as submunitions or bomblets. Each is roughly the size of a tin can and contains 2–2.5 kilograms of explosives. When the missile reaches a certain altitude, between 7–10 kilometers above the target, its warhead opens, dispersing the submunitions randomly over a wide area. The impact radius can range from several hundred meters to as much as 10 kilometers—depending on atmospheric winds and turbulence, the altitude at which the munitions are released, and the speed of the missile carrying them—and they can cause significant damage to buildings, infrastructure, and people. Detonation occurs when the fuze mechanism is activated upon impact with a target or the ground, triggering the explosive charge.
Importantly, a certain percentage of these submunitions fail to detonate upon impact and remain on the ground as unexploded ordnance. Like landmines, they can be triggered by human contact, causing severe injuries or even death, as tragically occurred in this case.
What can be done to prevent similar incidents from recurring?
First, safety guidelines must be strictly followed, and extensive areas must be thoroughly surveyed for unexploded ordnance, particularly in densely vegetated terrain such as the Ramim Ridge and the Manara region, or in populated areas such as Kiryat Shmona. Because these locations have been active combat zones, unexploded munitions may still be present. In addition, suspected hazardous areas must be clearly marked with warning signs and fenced off. These measures should be accompanied by public awareness efforts emphasizing that hikers and passersby should report and strictly avoid contact with any suspicious objects.
The explosion of a cluster munition during a high school hiking trip along a trail on the Ramim Ridge, allegedly approved by the authorities, had tragic consequences: the death of 14-year-old Elazar Yair Wilensky, and injuries to several other students.
What exactly are cluster munitions, and what makes them so deadly?
The explosion was caused by an unexploded cluster submunition launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah during the war. Throughout the war against Iran and Hezbollah, Israel came under attack from a wide range of ballistic missiles and rockets. Iran and Hezbollah used two types of ballistic missiles. The first carries a warhead containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives. When the missile strikes its intended target, the explosion, the resulting blast waves, and the kinetic impact cause concentrated damage to the target and its immediate surroundings.
The second type is equipped with a warhead containing a canister filled with dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of small explosive devices known as submunitions or bomblets. Each is roughly the size of a tin can and contains 2–2.5 kilograms of explosives. When the missile reaches a certain altitude, between 7–10 kilometers above the target, its warhead opens, dispersing the submunitions randomly over a wide area. The impact radius can range from several hundred meters to as much as 10 kilometers—depending on atmospheric winds and turbulence, the altitude at which the munitions are released, and the speed of the missile carrying them—and they can cause significant damage to buildings, infrastructure, and people. Detonation occurs when the fuze mechanism is activated upon impact with a target or the ground, triggering the explosive charge.
Importantly, a certain percentage of these submunitions fail to detonate upon impact and remain on the ground as unexploded ordnance. Like landmines, they can be triggered by human contact, causing severe injuries or even death, as tragically occurred in this case.
What can be done to prevent similar incidents from recurring?
First, safety guidelines must be strictly followed, and extensive areas must be thoroughly surveyed for unexploded ordnance, particularly in densely vegetated terrain such as the Ramim Ridge and the Manara region, or in populated areas such as Kiryat Shmona. Because these locations have been active combat zones, unexploded munitions may still be present. In addition, suspected hazardous areas must be clearly marked with warning signs and fenced off. These measures should be accompanied by public awareness efforts emphasizing that hikers and passersby should report and strictly avoid contact with any suspicious objects.