White phosphorous munitions are blown up by United Nations workers and Hamas sappers in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in March 2010. Israel was accused of heavily using white phosphorous in that war with Hamas as well. File Photo by Mohammed Saber/EPA
The Israeli military is illegally using airburst white phosphorus munitions as it attacks Lebanon, putting civilians in its northern neighbor at risk, according to Human Rights Watch.
The human rights organization said in a report Wednesday that it has verified that Israel illegally used airburst munitions over populated residential areas in five municipalities. Advertisement
The report counted the use of white phosphorous munitions in at least 17 municipalities across south Lebanon since October 2023.
“Israel’s use of airburst white phosphorus munitions in populated areas indiscriminately harms civilians and has led many to leave their homes,” said researcher Ramzi Kaiss in a statement. “Israel forces should immediately stop using white phosphorus munitions in populated areas, especially when less-harmful alternatives are readily available.”
White phosphorus is a highly incendiary substance used in warfare for creating smoke screens, marking targets, and as an anti-personnel weapon. Upon exposure to oxygen, it ignites and produces dense white smoke, causing severe burns upon contact with skin.
The use of white phosphorous can cause severe burns that are difficult to treat, inhalation injuries, bone and muscle damage and systemic toxicity that can lead to organ failure. Advertisement
At least 173 people have been injured by white phosphorous since October, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said. And more than 92,600 people have been displaced.
Amnesty International has similarly documented the illegal use of white phosphorous by the Israeli military. It previously called on one such attack on the town of Dhayra to be investigated as a war crime.
Human Rights Watch noted that Israel, unlike Lebanon, is not party to Protocol III of the Convention on Conventional Weapons — what it called “the only legally binding instrument dedicated specifically to incendiary weapons.”
“Stronger international standards against the use of white phosphorus are needed to ensure these weapons do not continue to endanger civilians,” Kaiss said. “Israel’s recent use of white phosphorus in Lebanon should motivate other countries to take immediate action toward this goal.”
