Iran Conflict — 2026-03-18

Iran Fires Cluster Missiles at Central Israel in Retaliation for Larijani Assassination

Iran launched a barrage of multiple-warhead ballistic missiles at central Israel overnight March 17-18, killing two civilians in Ramat Gan. Tehran framed the strike as direct retaliation for the Larijani assassination. The use of cluster-type warheads designed to evade Iron Dome interceptors marks an escalation in Iranian missile tactics since the war began Feb 28.

Analysis
Janes reported March 17 that Iranian missile launch rates show no degradation since Day 3 despite CENTCOM claims of 90% ballistic capacity reduction. The Ramat Gan penetration validates this assessment -- Iran retains meaningful retaliatory capability 19 days into the campaign.

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