White House ‘concerned’ at claims Israel used US-supplied white phosphorus in Lebanon town
The White House has said it will be “asking questions” after allegations that Israel fired US-made white phosphorus munitions at a town in Lebanon while fighting the militant group Hezbollah.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that it had recovered remnants of artillery rounds from Dheira, near the border of Israel, that bear markings and production codes consistent with white phosphorous rounds made in the US.
Nine people were injured in the attack, which incinerated at least four homes, the outlet reports.
White phosphorous, which can be used legitimately to obscure troop movements on the battlefield, is restricted from use in populated civilian areas due to its deadly impact, sticking to the skin of its victims.
People exposed to white phosphorus can suffer horrific and life-changing injuries including respiratory damage, organ failure, and burns that are extremely difficult to treat and cannot be put out with water.
Allegations of their use by Russian forces in Ukraine last year led to international outcry and calls for war crime prosecutions.
Dheira residents told The Post that the town was shelled with white phosphorus munitions for hours during the October attack, trapping residents in their homes.
“Emergency services told us to put something that was soaked in water on our faces, which helped a bit. I couldn’t see my finger in front of my face. The whole village became white,” said Uday Abu Sari, a 29-year-old farmer.
US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday that the United States was “concerned” about the claims.
“We’ve seen the reports. Certainly concerned about that. We’ll be asking questions to try to learn a little bit more,” Mr Kirby told reporters on Air Force One.
Mr Kirby said white phosphorus has a “legitimate military utility”, but added: “Obviously any time that we provide items like white phosphorous to another military, it is with the full expectation that it will be used in keeping with those legitimate purposes … and in keeping with the law of armed conflict.”
Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said the department could not yet verify the weapons were US-supplied, adding: “When it comes to our relationship with Israel, we’ll continue to communicate to them the importance of mitigating civilian harm.”
At least 94 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war in Gaza fuelled a fresh conflict between Israel and Hezbollah – with Dheira used as a staging ground for attacks by the group, which like Hamas is a proscribed terror group in the UK.
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, asked about the report that Israel used white phosphorus in Lebanon, said: “The IDF and the entire security establishment acts according to international law. That is how we have acted and how we will act.”
The Palestinian foreign ministry has previously accused Israel of using white phosphorus bombs against civilians in populated areas in Gaza.
Amnesty International has previously called for the use of white phosphorous to be investigated as a possible war crime.
The rights group’s deputy regional director, Aya Majzoub, said: “It is beyond horrific that the Israeli army has indiscriminately used white phosphorous in violation of international humanitarian law.
“The unlawful use of white phosphorus in Lebanon has seriously endangered the lives of civilians, many of whom were hospitalised and displaced, and whose homes and cars caught fire.
“With concern growing about an intensification of the hostilities in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army must immediately halt the use of white phosphorus, especially in populated areas, in line with its forgotten 2013 pledge to stop using these weapons. It must abide by its commitment and stop further endangering the lives of civilians in Lebanon.”
