1 man killed, 2 seriously wounded as Iranian cluster bomb warhead hits central Israel

At least one man was killed and two others were seriously wounded by an Iranian missile with a cluster warhead that was fired at central Israel on Monday, the seventh salvo of fire since midnight as Tehran kept up its attacks on Israel and Gulf nations. Iran fired an eighth salvo in late afternoon.

The cluster warhead hit at least six sites across central Israel, including in Yehud, Or Yehuda, Holon and Bat Yam. One man was killed and another was critically wounded at a construction site in Yehud, and a third man was seriously wounded in Or Yehuda, according to medical officials.

At the construction site, two men in their 40s were critically hurt by shrapnel, with one succumbing to his wounds, Magen David Adom said. The second man was taken to a hospital.

Images from the scenes of the impacts showed craters in the ground and vehicles and buildings damaged by the explosions. Iran has launched multiple ballistic missiles at Israel carrying cluster bomb warheads during the ongoing conflict, indiscriminately spreading small bombs over wide areas of the country.

The repeated volleys of missiles targeted sites across the country, including southern Israel, the center and the north.

At the same time, the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group fired rockets and drones at the north.

In an early morning strike, a woman in Rishon Lezion was moderately wounded.

MDA paramedics treated the injured woman in her 50s for a head injury after she was hit by flying rocks resulting from part of a cluster munition that fell in the area, then took her to Shamir Medical Center in stable condition.

Hospital staff later announced she was in good health. She was not inside a bomb shelter when she was hit by the debris.

תיעוד דרמטי: רגע הנפילה באור יהודה@HGoldich
(צילום: עיריית אור יהודה) pic.twitter.com/UUO049HTWd

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 9, 2026

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB hailed the strikes, saying the country fired its “first wave of missiles under Mojtaba Khamenei towards occupied territories,” referring to the newly elected leader who was chosen Sunday as successor to his father, Ali Khamenei.

IDF strikes Isfahan

While Iran fired the repeated salvos at Israel, the Israel Defense Forces continued to carry out air strikes in Iran.

The IDF said it struck several bases of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force and internal security forces in the city of Isfahan, along with missile sites in other areas of the country.

During the wave of strikes in Isfahan, the IDF said it hit the headquarters of Iran’s “regional corps,” a command center of the internal security forces, a base used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij, and the IRGC’s police headquarters.

Elsewhere, the Israeli Air Force struck a rocket engine production facility and missile launch sites, the military said.

Regional anger grows as energy infrastructure is hit and oil prices spike

In addition to the strikes on Israel, Iran also kept up its attacks on the Gulf states and on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz has also all but stopped tankers from using the shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman through which a fifth of the world’s oil is carried. The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, surged to nearly $120 a barrel on Monday, about 65% higher than when the war started, before retreating slightly.

As global economic concerns grew, US President Donald Trump downplayed the spike in prices.

“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” Trump wrote on social media.

Iran has targeted Israel and American bases in the region since the start of the war, and has also been launching missiles and drones at energy and water infrastructure.

On Monday, a fire broke out at an oil facility that was attacked in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Bahrain’s only oil refinery was apparently also hit and Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted several drones attacking its massive Shaybah oil field.

Saudi Arabia lashed out at Iran following a thwarted drone attack on Shaybah, saying Tehran would be the “biggest loser” if it continues to attack Arab states.

The Foreign Ministry said Iranian attacks mean “further escalation which will have grave impact on the relations, currently and in the future.”

In addition to energy facilities in the UAE, authorities there said the capital of Abu Dhabi was targeted by Iranian missiles, and two people were hurt by shrapnel from interceptions.

Bahrain’s only refinery burns

Iran attacked Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, where it hit a residential area, wounding 32 people, including several children, according to authorities. Another attack appeared to have started a fire at Bahrain’s only oil refinery, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air.

The BAPCO refinery, the largest oil refinery in Bahrain, was hit by Iranian strikes earlier this morning. pic.twitter.com/8UbejjmynR

— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 9, 2026

Bahrain has also accused Iran of damaging one of its desalination plants, though its electricity and water authority said supplies remained online. Desalination plants supply water to millions of residents in the region and thousands of stranded travelers, raising new fears of catastrophic risks in parched desert nations.

On Monday, Bahrain’s state oil company declared force majeure for its oil shipments, the state-run Bahrain News Agency reported, a legal maneuver releasing a company of its contractual obligations because of extraordinary circumstances. It insisted that local demand could still be met.

In Iraq, air defenses downed a drone as it attacked a US military compound inside the Baghdad International Airport, a security source told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. No injuries or damage were reported. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but pro-Iranian Iraqi militias have previously targeted the base.

Elsewhere, the US military said a service member died of injuries from an Iranian attack on troops in Saudi Arabia on March 1. Seven US soldiers have now been killed.

The US State Department early Monday ordered nonessential personnel and families of all staff to leave Saudi Arabia following the escalation in attacks.

Eight other US diplomatic missions have ordered all but key staff to leave: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the consulate in Karachi, Pakistan.