Nine people were killed Monday after an Iranian missile struck the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, prompting Israel’s military to accuse Tehran of deliberately targeting civilians.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the IDF’s international spokesperson, condemned the Iranian regime in a statement on social media following the strike.

“Since the beginning of ‘Operation Roaring Lion’ the Iranian regime has been targeting civilians. We know that this is their strategy,” Shoshani wrote.

The strike on Beit Shemesh marked the deadliest single incident inside Israel since hostilities began over the weekend.

A separate missile impact was reported in Rosh Ha’ayin on Monday, where a public building was hit and one person was lightly wounded, underscoring the continued pressure on Israeli home front defenses.

Shoshani’s comments on Monday followed an accusation issued the day before, in which he said Iran had intentionally fired cluster munitions at Israeli population centers. Cluster weapons are designed to scatter submunitions across a wide area, increasing the likelihood of casualties and damage beyond a single impact point.

“Cluster weapons are designed to disperse over a large area and maximize the chances of a harmful strike,” Shoshani said. “Iran goes to great lengths in trying to maximize harm to Israeli civilians.”

“Directing attacks at civilians is a war crime,” he added.

Breaking:‼️
Iran intentionally fired missiles that contained cluster sub-munitions at a densely populated civilian area in Israel. Cluster weapons are designed to disperse over a large area and maximize the chances of a harmful strike. Iran goes to great lengths in trying to… pic.twitter.com/tgtYJ7M8dU

— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) February 28, 2026

The Beit Shemesh strike follows earlier deadly incidents. Late Saturday, Iranian missiles hit a residential block in Tel Aviv, killing one woman and injuring at least 21 others.

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