Israel Admits Using Phosphorous Bombs In Lebanon
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Courtesy Of: Haaretz.com
By Meron Rappaport
October 22 2006
Israel has acknowledged for the first time that it attacked Hezbollah targets during the second Lebanon war with phosphorous shells. White Phosphorous causes very painful and often lethal chemical burns to those hit by it, and until recently Israel maintained that it only uses such bombs to mark targets or territory.
The announcement that Israel Defense Forces had used phosphorous bombs in the war in Lebanon was made by Minister Jacob Edery, in charge of government-Knesset relations. He had been queried on the matter by MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz-Yahad).
"The IDF hold phosphorous munitions in different forms," Edery said. "The IDF made use of phosphorous shells during the war against Hezbollah in attacks against military targets in open ground."
...Edery did not specify where and against what types of targets phosphorous munitions were used. During the war several foreign media outlets reported that Lebanese civilians carried injuries characteristic of attacks with phosphorous, a substance that burns when it comes to contact with air...
In another case, Dr. Hussein Hamud Al-Shel, who works at Dar Al-Amal hospital in Ba'albek, said that he had received three corpses "entirely shriveled with black-green skin," a phenomenon characteristic of phosphorous injuries.
Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud also claimed that the IDF made use of phosphorous munitions against civilians in Lebanon.
...Some experts believe that phosphorous munitions should be termed chemical weapons (CW) because of the way the weapon burn and attack the respiratory system...
The International Red Cross is of the opinion that there should be a complete ban on phosphorous being used against human beings and the Third Protocol of the Geneva Convention on Conventional Weapons restricts the use of "incendiary weapons," with phosphorous considered to be one such weapon.
Israel and the United States are not signatories of the Third Protocol.
Source:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/777549.html
*******************************************************************
Courtesy Of: Haaretz.com
By Meron Rappaport
October 22 2006
Israel has acknowledged for the first time that it attacked Hezbollah targets during the second Lebanon war with phosphorous shells. White Phosphorous causes very painful and often lethal chemical burns to those hit by it, and until recently Israel maintained that it only uses such bombs to mark targets or territory.
The announcement that Israel Defense Forces had used phosphorous bombs in the war in Lebanon was made by Minister Jacob Edery, in charge of government-Knesset relations. He had been queried on the matter by MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz-Yahad).
"The IDF hold phosphorous munitions in different forms," Edery said. "The IDF made use of phosphorous shells during the war against Hezbollah in attacks against military targets in open ground."
...Edery did not specify where and against what types of targets phosphorous munitions were used. During the war several foreign media outlets reported that Lebanese civilians carried injuries characteristic of attacks with phosphorous, a substance that burns when it comes to contact with air...
In another case, Dr. Hussein Hamud Al-Shel, who works at Dar Al-Amal hospital in Ba'albek, said that he had received three corpses "entirely shriveled with black-green skin," a phenomenon characteristic of phosphorous injuries.
Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud also claimed that the IDF made use of phosphorous munitions against civilians in Lebanon.
...Some experts believe that phosphorous munitions should be termed chemical weapons (CW) because of the way the weapon burn and attack the respiratory system...
The International Red Cross is of the opinion that there should be a complete ban on phosphorous being used against human beings and the Third Protocol of the Geneva Convention on Conventional Weapons restricts the use of "incendiary weapons," with phosphorous considered to be one such weapon.
Israel and the United States are not signatories of the Third Protocol.
Source:
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/777549.html
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