Amnesty International accused the Israeli army on Tuesday of firing artillery shells containing white phosphorus, an incendiary weapon, during military operations along Lebanon’s southern border between October 10 and 16.
According to the non-governmental organization, an attack in the city of Dhayra on October 16 should be investigated as a war crime because it was an indiscriminate attack that injured at least nine civilians and also damaged civilian structures.
Israel has denied the use of white phosphorus in Lebanon and Gaza, but Amnesty International says it has analyzed videos and photographs indicating the use of artillery shells laced with white phosphorus smoke during an attack on the Lebanese city of Dhayra on October 16.
Amnesty International researchers interviewed the mayor of Dhayra, a resident of Dhayra, a first responder who facilitated the transfer of injured civilians to a nearby hospital, and an emergency room doctor who worked at the hospital that received the injured civilians.
The AI team also collected evidence pointing to the use of white phosphorus in three other incidents between October 10 and 16 in Dhayra and the border towns of Al-Mari and Aita al-Chaab, namely by verifying videos and photos of these attacks.
White phosphorus is an incendiary substance primarily used to create a dense smokescreen or mark targets. When exposed to air, it burns at extremely high temperatures and often causes fires in the areas where it lands.
People exposed to white phosphorus can suffer respiratory damage, organ failure and other serious injuries, including burns that are extremely difficult to treat and often fatal.
According to the NGO, white phosphorus is not considered a chemical weapon because it acts primarily through heat and flame, and not through toxicity, making it an incendiary weapon. Its use falls under Protocol III of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCAC). Lebanon joined the protocol in 2017, but Israel did not.
The use of white phosphorus is restricted under international humanitarian law. Although there are legal uses, it should never be fired at or near a populated civilian area or civilian infrastructure due to the high likelihood that fires and the smoke they cause will spread.
On October 14, Israeli authorities denied using white phosphorus in their military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
Hostilities at the border between Israel and southern Lebanon have increased significantly since October 7, following the attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israel.
So far, Israeli bombings in Lebanon have killed at least four civilians and 48 members of the Hezbollah group. Hezbollah and other armed groups also fired rockets into northern Israel, killing six Israeli soldiers and one Israeli civilian, according to the Israeli military.
Amnesty International is investigating attacks by Hezbollah and other armed groups in northern Israel to determine whether they have violated international humanitarian law.
Source: DN
