According to a report released Monday by Human Rights Watch, the Israeli military “illegally” struck a village in southern Lebanon with artillery shells loaded with white phosphorus, a widely discussed incendiary weapon.
The organization said it had examined and geolocated seven images that indicated white phosphorus artillery had been used in residential areas of Yohmor village in southern Lebanon. The reported attack came hours after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning to residents of Yohmor and many other nearby villages in the region.
Avichay Adraee, Israel’s Arab military spokesman, issued a directive at 5:27 a.m. that day stating that residents of Yohmor and 50 other villages and towns “should immediately evacuate (their homes) and move from the villages to at least 1,000 meters away from the village to open ground,” the report said.
Human Rights Watch said it could not independently confirm whether any civilians remained in the area at the time of the strike or whether anyone was injured. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment. White phosphorus has previously been reported to be used to create smoke screens rather than deliberately targeting civilians.
What is white phosphorus?
White phosphorus is a chemical used in artillery shells, bombs and rockets that ignites when it comes into contact with oxygen. However, human rights advocates say the deployment of white phosphorus in populated areas violates international law. The substance burns at extremely high temperatures that can ignite buildings and cause severe injuries by burning through human tissue to the bone. Even people who survive with relatively minor burns can later face serious complications, such as infections, organ damage, or respiratory failure.
“The Israeli military’s illegal use of white phosphorus in residential areas is extremely alarming and will have dire consequences for civilians. The inflammatory effects of white phosphorus can cause death or severe injuries that result in lifelong suffering,” said Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanese researcher at HRW.
Kaiss said Israel should stop the practice immediately. He also called on countries that supply Israel with weapons, including white phosphorus munitions, to suspend military aid and arms sales and to pressure Israel to stop using such weapons in residential areas.
Hezbollah’s participation in the conflict in the Middle East
Hezbollah said on Monday it had engaged Israeli soldiers who arrived in eastern Lebanon by helicopter across the Syrian border, the second such operation since the start of the latest conflict with Israel.
Lebanon became embroiled in the wider Middle East conflict last week after Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.
Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said on Sunday that Israeli strikes in the past week had killed 394 people in Lebanon, including 83 children and 42 women.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military also said two of its soldiers were killed during fighting in southern Lebanon, marking the first casualties among its forces since the current offensive began on March 2.
