[News] 'Israel' bombing South Lebanon with banned cluster bombs

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--bombing-south-lebanon-with-banned-cluster-bombs--he>
'Israel' bombing South Lebanon with banned cluster bombs: Hezbollah
Al Mayadeen English
October 13, 2024
------------------------------

The Israeli strikes reportedly utilized cluster munitions, weapons
prohibited under international law due to their indiscriminate nature and
the severe harm they can inflict on civilians.
[image: d906dadd-2ba0-4243-8236-f836ea3cb646.jpg]

   - Medical workers inspect the site of the Israeli airstrike in
   Hebbariyeh in March. (*AFP* via Getty Images)

Israeli forces conducted airstrikes this morning in the area between the
towns of Haneen and al-Teeri Hezbollah's Media Relations
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-claims-of-arms-depots-no-longer-fool-anyone--hezboll>
 announced.

In a statement, it detailed that the attacks involved the use of cluster
munitions, a type of weapon that is banned under international law due to
its potential to cause widespread harm to civilians, as per the statement.

This latest attack, characterized as a "barbaric crime", marks a
continuation of the Israeli offensive actions against both the Lebanese and
Palestinian populations, it added.

The statement emphasized that this latest attack occurred against the
backdrop of the Israeli military's clear difficulties in engaging Islamic
Resistance fighters in direct confrontations.

It suggested a strategic shift in Israeli tactics, as the forces resort to
aerial bombardments rather than face the Resistance groups head-on, as per
the statement.

Furthermore, the statement criticized the Israeli government, emphasizing
that it has been supported militarily and politically by the United States,
for attacking hospitals and ambulances. It concluded by expressing concern
over the apparent inaction of the international community and humanitarian
organizations in addressing these violations.
What are cluster bombs and why are they banned?

The use, transfer, production, and stockpiling of cluster munitions
<https://english.almayadeen.net/videos/what-are-cluster-bombs-and-why-are-they-banned>
have been banned by over 100 nations under the Convention on Cluster
Munitions since 2010. Some countries did not agree to participate in the
Convention and refused to sign this agreement.

The US, being one of these countries, is ignoring the fatal outcomes of
these munitions as it insists on sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.

*Read next: Lives scarred by cluster bombs: Untold stories of tragedy,
resilience
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/lives-scarred-by-cluster-bombs:-untold-stories-of-tragedy-re>*

Not an isolated incident

Human Rights Watch confirmed that the Israeli occupation used white
phosphorus
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-navy-was-at-scene-of-nord-stream-blasts--danish-media>
in its attacks on Gaza and Lebanon on October 10 and 11 of last year.

In a Q&A article about white phosphorus, Human Rights Watch expressed
concerns about the Israeli occupation's use of phosphorus in military
operations in Gaza and Lebanon, highlighting the serious and long-term
risks it poses to civilians.

Human Rights Watch substantiated these claims with video evidence from
Lebanon and Gaza, which depicted multiple airbursts of artillery-fired
white phosphorus over the Gaza City
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-occupation-massacres-rafah-residents-amid-heavy-gaza>
 port and two rural locations along the occupied Palestine-Lebanon border.

White phosphorus, with its dual capability for marking, signaling, and
obscuring or as an incendiary weapon, can cause severe burns to individuals
and ignite structures, fields, and other civilian objects in the vicinity.

The use of white phosphorus in Gaza, one of the most densely populated
areas globally, significantly heightens the danger to civilians and
constitutes a breach of international humanitarian law's prohibition on
needlessly endangering civilians.

International law explicitly forbids the use of phosphorus, and such
actions are considered violations by the occupying forces. It's worth
noting that assaults employing air-delivered incendiary weapons in civilian
areas are outlawed under Protocol III of the Convention on Conventional
Weapons (CCW).

Lama Fakih, Director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human
Rights Watch, emphasized, "Whenever white phosphorus is employed in densely
populated civilian zones, it presents a grave risk of agonizing burns and
enduring suffering."

She further explained, "White phosphorus is inherently indiscriminate when
airburst in densely populated urban regions, as it can ignite buildings and
cause severe harm to civilians."
Chemical properties

White phosphorus
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/washpo-says--israel--used-white-phosphorus-against-lebanon>
is a combustible (ignites when exposed to oxygen) and a severely fatal
chemical. The combustible reaction produces light, heavy white smoke, and
heat of about 815°C.

White phosphorus is highly soluble in human flesh and causes deadly thermal
and chemical burns that can go as deep as the bones.

Direct contact is extremely excruciating and can leave long-lasting damage
to internal organs. Even inhaling its vapor can cause severe inflammation
in the trachea.
Under International Law

The use of white phosphorus bombs, which fall under the category of
incendiary weapons in international law, is governed by Article 2 Protocol
III
<https://geneva-s3.unoda.org/static-unoda-site/pages/templates/the-convention-on-certain-conventional-weapons/PROTOCOL%2BIII.pdf>
 of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (to which "Israel"
is a signatory).

Article 2.1 reads that the use of white phosphorus bombs against civilians
and civilian objects is absolutely prohibited.

Furthermore, Article 2.2 specifies that even targeting any military
objective located within a concentration of civilians by airstrikes is also
categorically prohibited.
Israeli precedents in employing phosphorus

The Israeli occupation forces had long used various internationally
prohibited weapons against civilians in violation of international
humanitarian law.

Israeli occupation forces employed white phosphorus bombs in 2006 against
Lebanese civilians, in 2008-2009 against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and
again in 2014 against civilians in Gaza.

In all three wars, "Israel" claimed to use phosphorus bombs for
illumination purposes.
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