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1 hr 35 min ago
A shell that appears to be white phosphorus explodes over a house in al-Bustan, south Lebanon, on October 15. Hussein Malla/AP
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Thursday responded to accusations about Israel’s use of white phosphorus in Lebanon with a carefully worded statement, dismissing reports that the incendiary substance has been used for setting fires but conceding that it does use it in some circumstances.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International accused the Israeli army of firing white phosphorus at the southern Lebanese town of Dhayra, injuring civilians.
On the same day, Lebanese interim Agricultural Minister Abbas Al-Hajj Hassan accused Israel of burning more than 40,000 olive trees in southern Lebanon using “white phosphorous bombs.”
The IDF denied that.
The “smoke-screen shells containing the white phosphorus in the IDF are not intended or used for setting fire, and any claim that these shells are used for that cause is baseless,” the IDF said in a statement to CNN.
The IDF also said it does not use the incendiary weapon in densely populated areas, but added that “certain exceptions” applied.
“This complies and goes beyond the requirements of international law,” the IDF said.
What is white phosphorus? It's an incendiary weapon, which is used to set fire to military targets, but its use is restricted under international humanitarian law. It is considered lawful in some cases but cannot be fired at or near civilian areas or civilian infrastructure.
White phosphorus can provide illumination or create a smokescreen in battle, but it is known to burn flesh down to the bone, according to previous CNN reporting.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, “The use of ... white phosphorous weapons against any military objective within concentrations of civilians is prohibited unless the military objective is clearly separated from the civilians.”
Human Rights Watch has also accused Israel of repeatedly firing white phosphorus at Lebanon since the escalation between the two countries began on October 8, sparked by the Hamas-Israel war.
Last month, the IDF strongly denied the claims. In an interview, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told CNN “categorically, no," it had not used white phosphorus.
Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented the use by Israel of white phosphorous in civilian areas in Gaza during previous rounds of fighting there. CNN also documented its use.
A CNN team on the ground in southern Lebanon has seen fires, burning trees and billowing smoke in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon over the past two weeks. The CNN team filmed abandoned olive fields during the ongoing harvest season.
Israel's military responds to white phosphorus accusations with carefully worded statement
From CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi, Florence Davey-Attlee and Sarah Sirgany
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Thursday responded to accusations about Israel’s use of white phosphorus in Lebanon with a carefully worded statement, dismissing reports that the incendiary substance has been used for setting fires but conceding that it does use it in some circumstances.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International accused the Israeli army of firing white phosphorus at the southern Lebanese town of Dhayra, injuring civilians.
On the same day, Lebanese interim Agricultural Minister Abbas Al-Hajj Hassan accused Israel of burning more than 40,000 olive trees in southern Lebanon using “white phosphorous bombs.”
The IDF denied that.
The “smoke-screen shells containing the white phosphorus in the IDF are not intended or used for setting fire, and any claim that these shells are used for that cause is baseless,” the IDF said in a statement to CNN.
The IDF also said it does not use the incendiary weapon in densely populated areas, but added that “certain exceptions” applied.
“This complies and goes beyond the requirements of international law,” the IDF said.
What is white phosphorus? It's an incendiary weapon, which is used to set fire to military targets, but its use is restricted under international humanitarian law. It is considered lawful in some cases but cannot be fired at or near civilian areas or civilian infrastructure.
White phosphorus can provide illumination or create a smokescreen in battle, but it is known to burn flesh down to the bone, according to previous CNN reporting.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, “The use of ... white phosphorous weapons against any military objective within concentrations of civilians is prohibited unless the military objective is clearly separated from the civilians.”
Human Rights Watch has also accused Israel of repeatedly firing white phosphorus at Lebanon since the escalation between the two countries began on October 8, sparked by the Hamas-Israel war.
Last month, the IDF strongly denied the claims. In an interview, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told CNN “categorically, no," it had not used white phosphorus.
Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented the use by Israel of white phosphorous in civilian areas in Gaza during previous rounds of fighting there. CNN also documented its use.
A CNN team on the ground in southern Lebanon has seen fires, burning trees and billowing smoke in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon over the past two weeks. The CNN team filmed abandoned olive fields during the ongoing harvest season.
