United States: Israel used US-supplied white phosphorus military weapon in an October attack in southern Lebanon, told US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on Monday.
Kirby said, during an Air Force One, “We’ve seen the reports. Certainly, concerned about that. We’ll be asking questions to try to learn a little bit more”, the news agency Reuters reported.
John Kirby stressed that the US provided material like white phosphorus to other military with the full expectation that it would be used for legitimate purposes and in keeping with the law of armed conflict.
He further added that “the white phosphorus does have a legitimate military utility in terms of illumination and producing smoke to conceal movements,” the reports mentioned.
Kirby further remarked in response to the Washington Post report, which had claimed that US-supplied white phosphorus munitions were used in an October attack in southern Lebanon. According to the official stats, at least nine civilians were killed in the attack.
Remnants of three 155-millimeter artillery rounds fired into Dheira, near the border of Israel, were found by a journalist working for The Washington Post. The rounds were saturated with white phosphorous, which burns at high temperatures and produces swirling smoke to hide troop movements when they fall randomly over a wide area, the reports suggested.
Comment by Israeli Defense Minister
When asked about the report, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “The IDF and the entire security establishment act according to international law. That is how we have acted and how we will act.”
“The main smoke shells used by the IDF do not contain white phosphorus. Similar to many Western armies, the IDF also has smoke shells that contain white phosphorus, which are legal according to international law, and the choice to use them is influenced by operational considerations and availability compared to alternatives,” the minister said.
“These shells are intended for smokescreens, and not for an attack or ignition, and they are not legally defined as incendiary weapons,” it added, the Times of Israel reported.
Update regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict
Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel since October 7 amid exchanges of gunfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia. The tensions between the two started when Israel made its counter-offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, followed by a cross-border attack by terror group Hamas.
Dheire town, with a 2,000 population, has become a staging ground for Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel. It is just across the border from an Israeli radar tower where at least 94 people have been killed since tensions escalated.