HRW also clarified that it couldn’t verify if people were in the area where they claimed the white phosphorus was used or if civilians were hurt by the use of that weapon.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the IDF of using white phosphorus over a village in southern Lebanon in an investigation published on Monday, with the non-profit organization arguing that the use was unlawful under international law.
This wasn’t the first time the non-profit has accused Israel of using these types of weapons, with previous accusations lacking conclusive evidence of their use over residential areas.
Israel, which is not a signatory to the Convention on the Prohibition of Use of Certain Conventional Weapons that prohibits the use of white phosphorus, has used it before in lawful ways, including to create smoke screens during operational activities.
HRW said that the IDF used white phosphorus while setting its forward defensive positions in southern Lebanon last Tuesday. The organization asserted it had “verified and geolocated eight images showing airburst white phosphorus munitions being deployed over a residential part of a town.”
HRW also clarified that it couldn’t verify if people were in the area where they said the white phosphorus was used or if civilians were hurt by the use of that weapon.
White phosphorus fired by Israeli army to create a smoke screen, is seen on the Israel-Lebanon border in northern Israel, November 12, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN)
IDF’s use of white phosphorus
According to other HRW claims, the IDF has already used white phosphorus in both Gaza and southern Lebanon.
The accusation of using this weapon in Gaza was made just two days after the October 7 massacre, with the non-profit failing to provide video evidence of the accusation.
In that instance, the IDF said at the time it was “not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorus in Gaza.”
In the current conflict, the IDF has also issued evacuation orders for the villages attacked in southern Lebanon, something that was noted by the HRW report.
On Tuesday, the day HRW says Israel employed the weapon, Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson, issued an order requiring residents of Yohmor and 50 other villages and towns to evacuate the area. Adraee repeated the statement at 12:12 p.m. that day.
