From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Human Rights Watch alleges Israel used white phosphorus in residential areas in Lebanon
BEIRUT — A global human rights group claims that Israel has used white phosphorus incendiary shells on residential buildings in at least five towns and villages in conflict-hit southern Lebanon, possibly harming civilians and violating international law, in a report published yesterday.
Human Rights Watch says in its report that there was no evidence of burn injuries due to white phosphorus in Lebanon, but that researchers had “heard accounts indicating possible respiratory damage.”
Human rights advocates say it’s a crime under international law to fire the controversial munitions into populated areas.
Israel maintains it uses white phosphorus only as a smokescreen and not to target civilians. In response to a Washington Post report in December, the Israel Defense Forces stressed the military only uses legal weapons and white phosphorus is only allowed to be used in urban areas “in certain exceptional cases.”
The white-hot chemical substance can set buildings on fire and burn human flesh down to the bone. Survivors are at risk of infections and organ or respiratory failure, even if their burns are small.
The HRW report includes interviews with eight residents in conflict-hit southern Lebanon, and the group says it has verified and geolocated images from almost 47 photos and videos that show white phosphorus shells landing on residential buildings in five Lebanese border towns and villages.
The Lebanese Health Ministry says at least 173 people have required medical care after exposure to white phosphorus.
The researchers found that the controversial incendiaries were used in residential areas in Kfar Kila, Mays al-Jabal, Boustan, Markaba, and Aita al-Shaab, towns that are among the hardest hit in eight months of fighting.
The New York-based rights group alongside Amnesty International also accused Israel of using white phosphorus in residential areas in October 2023, less than a month after the Hezbollah terror group began launching attacks on northern communities on October 8.
In its report, HRW calls on the Lebanese government to allow the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute “grave international crimes” within Lebanon since October 2023.
“Israel’s recent use of white phosphorus in Lebanon should motivate other countries to take immediate action toward this goal,” HRW Lebanon Researcher Ramzi Kaiss says.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
