US to ask Israel about use of white phosphorus in Lebanon attacks

The US plans to ask Israel about its illegal use of white phosphorus munitions during attacks inside Lebanon, the White House said Monday.

The Washington Post released an analysis based on shell fragments it obtained from 155-millimeter artillery rounds provided by Washington to the Israeli army previously.

“Any time 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,” National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said.

He added that the US expected the Israeli army or any other US partner to use weapons under the law of armed conflict.

Asked about the Washington Post, Kirby said: “We’re certainly concerned about that [use of white phosphorus]. We’ll be asking questions to try to learn a little bit more.”

The Washington Post found remnants of three 155-millimeter artillery rounds that were used in an October attack against four homes in southern Lebanon.

White phosphorous is used to prevent clear vision around an area that is being targeted. Amnesty International and other agencies have said that the Israeli army fired these shells between October 10 and 16, calling for an investigation to be opened into war crimes “because it was an indiscriminate attack that injured at least nine civilians and damaged civilian objects, and was therefore unlawful.”

While white phosphorus is not illegal to use, international humanitarian law calls for not using it near populated civilian areas or civilian infrastructure.

The Washington Post reported that the writing on the shells matched that used by the US military and showed that they were produced in Louisiana and Arkansas in 1989 and 1992.

Al Arabiya English reached out to the Pentagon for comment. US defense officials have repeatedly said that they are pressing Israel not to target civilians during its military campaigns in both Gaza and south Lebanon. Al Arabiya English previously reported frustration among US officials over the civilian death toll as a result of the Israeli military’s indiscriminate attacks.

State Department Spokesman Matt Miller told reporters that the US expects every country that it provides weapons to use them in compliance with laws of war, and “Israel is no exception.”