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Through geolocating and verifying seven images, Human Rights
Watch said Israel fired white phosphorus using artillery at
residential areas in the southern Lebanese village of Yohmor. It
happened hours after the Israeli military warned the residents
of the village and dozens of others in southern Lebanon to
evacuate.
Human Rights Watch said it couldn’t independently identify if
any residents were still in the area or if anyone was harmed.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request
for comment. In the past, it has maintained that it uses white
phosphorus as a smoke screen and not to target civilians.
Human rights advocates say the use of white phosphorus is
illegal under international law when the white-hot chemical
substance is fired into populated areas. It can set buildings on
fire and burn human flesh down to the bone. Survivors are at
risk of infections and organ or respiratory failure, even if
their burns are small.
“The Israeli military’s unlawful use of white phosphorus over
residential areas is extremely alarming and will have dire
consequences for civilians,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon
researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International
said the munition was used in Israel’s last war with Hezbollah,
over a year ago, on numerous occasions in southern Lebanon while
civilians were still present.
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