Israel is reeling after one of the heaviest barrages of the war, as Iranian ballistic missiles armed with cluster warheads slammed into central Israel and appeared, at least for minutes, to punch holes in the country’s vaunted Iron Dome system, defence officials say.

Sirens screamed across Tel Aviv, Holon and Rishon LeZion as dozens of launches were detected from western Iran. Residents filmed the sky turning into a lattice of smoke trails and fireballs – interceptors rising to meet incoming missiles, then a chilling “second wave” as scores of submunitions rained down even where the main warheads had been destroyed.

Initial assessments point to a brutal tactic: heavy missiles exploding high above urban areas, scattering bomblets over wide zones that Israel’s point‑defence systems were never designed to catch one by one. Parking lots, markets and industrial zones were left pockmarked and burning; emergency services report multiple wounded from shrapnel and collapsing debris, but no confirmed mass‑casualty site so far.

Inside Israel’s war cabinet, the mood is described as “shocked but defiant.” Officials insist Iron Dome and the upper‑tier David’s Sling still intercepted the majority of threats, but privately admit Iran has exposed a dangerous seam in Israel’s layered shield. Military engineers are already racing to adapt tactics before the next wave.

In Tehran, hard‑line media is celebrating a “historic breach” of Israel’s defences. In Tel Aviv, the question gripping both generals and civilians tonight is stark: was this a one‑off shock—or the moment Iran proved it can overwhelm even one of the world’s most sophisticated missile umbrellas?