Iran resumed hourly missile and rocket barrages against Israeli cities on Tuesday, ending an 11-hour pause that had coincided with President Trump's claims of ceasefire progress. Ten barrages were launched from Iranian territory and two from Lebanon. Cluster munitions struck Bnei Brak, a densely populated city adjacent to Tel Aviv, wounding 12 people — six of them children. A 94-year-old woman was pulled from the top floor of a building that took a direct hit. A 100-kilogram warhead landed between residential buildings in central Tel Aviv. In northern Israel, the combined attacks killed one woman and wounded at least 18.
The timing follows a pattern now visible across the war's fourth week. The pause began as Trump announced his postponement of the power-plant strike ultimatum on Sunday, citing "very good and productive conversations" with Tehran. The resumption came after Iran categorically denied any negotiations and parliamentary speaker Ghalibaf accused Trump of market manipulation. Whatever purpose the pause served — operational reset, ammunition conservation, or a signal to mediators — it did not reflect movement toward a ceasefire.
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper reported on Sunday that Iranian forces now fire missiles "one or two at a time," down from dozens at the war's opening. The American Enterprise Institute assessed launch rates have fallen more than 90% since 28 February. The capacity is degraded; the threat to civilians is not. Cluster munitions — weapons that scatter submunitions across a wide radius — compensate for reduced launch volume with indiscriminate effect on the ground. Days earlier, an Iranian cluster munition struck an empty kindergarten in Rishon LeZion, leaving 11 impact craters. The Bnei Brak strike hit an occupied residential neighbourhood. The two barrages from Lebanese territory confirm Hezbollah continues to function as a coordinated second front despite Israeli operations south of the Litani, including the killing of Radwan Force commander Abu Khalil Barji days earlier.
