Lebanon Accuses Israel of White Phosphorus Attacks, Files UN Complaint
Lebanon has accused Israel of conducting white phosphorus attacks and plans to file a complaint with the United Nations (UN). The Lebanese Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, claims that Israel has been using this incendiary weapon that has resulted in the burning of 40,000 olive trees. White phosphorus can cause severe burns when it comes into contact with a person. This is not the first time that Israel has faced accusations of using white phosphorus, but they have previously denied these claims.
Foreign Minister Bou Habib stated that he has instructed the Lebanese mission at the UN to file a new complaint with the Security Council, condemning Israel’s repeated use of white phosphorus in attacks on Lebanon. Additionally, he accused Israel of intentionally burning forests and groves in Lebanon.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, along Lebanon’s southern border has intensified ever since the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, launched an unprecedented offensive from the Gaza Strip on October 7. The clashes have resulted in the deaths of at least 62 people, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians, as well as four civilians, one of whom was a Reuters journalist. On the Israeli side, eight people, both troops, and civilians, lost their lives.
Israeli attacks in the border region have also ignited olive orchards and other vegetation. As of now, there is still at least one fire burning in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s Agriculture Minister, Abbas al-Hajj Hassan, revealed that Israeli white phosphorus strikes destroyed 40,000 olive trees in southern Lebanon. A preliminary survey conducted by the ministry identified 128 fires caused by Israel’s phosphorus bombings.
White phosphorus is a chemical that ignites upon contact with air and is commonly used to create smokescreens, illuminate battlefields, or set buildings ablaze. Although the use of incendiary weapons like white phosphorus is regulated by the 1983 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, the convention does not outright prohibit their use. However, it does forbid their usage against civilians, non-military targets, or military targets in close proximity to civilians.
Amnesty International released an investigation providing evidence of Israel’s unlawful use of white phosphorus in south Lebanon from October 10 to October 16. The rights group claims that an attack on the town of Dhayra on October 16 was an indiscriminate attack that injured at least nine civilians, constituting a war crime. Human Rights Watch has previously accused Israel of using white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon, but Israel has refuted these allegations.
Lebanon’s filing of a UN complaint and the mounting evidence presented by human rights organizations against Israel’s alleged use of white phosphorus highlight the escalating tensions and destructive consequences in the region.
