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unifil
Israeli Use of White Phosphorus in Lebanon Injured UN Peacekeepers: Report
One observer said the illegal use of the devastating chemical agent is "yet another reason" why the Biden administration "must halt offensive weapons shipments to Israel."
Oct 22, 2024
Israel Defense Forces troops recently forced their way into a United Nations peacekeeper base in southern Lebanon and fired white phosphorus munitions in close enough proximity to injure 15 U.N. personnel, according to a report published Tuesday.
The Financial Times reviewed "a confidential report outlining a dozen recent incidents in which the IDF attacked international troops in Lebanon." The newspaper said the report was prepared by a country contributing troops to the 10,000-strong U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
UNIFIL forces and facilities have been repeatedly attacked by Israeli troops since the IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon earlier this month amid heavy aerial bombardment that has killed or wounded thousands of Lebanese. UNIFIL has condemned attacks on its positions and personnel as a "flagrant violation of international law."
According to the confidential report, Israeli forces began directly firing on UNIFIL bases on October 8. Two days later, two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured when an IDF tank fired on an observation tower.
In a separate incident that same day, IDF troops opened fire on a UNIFIL bunker where Italian peacekeepers sought refuge.
"This was not a mistake and not an accident," Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said following the incident. "It could constitute a war crime and represented a very serious violation of international humanitarian law."
On October 13, UNIFIL said two IDF tanks crashed through the main gate of one of its bases and fired on a watchtower, destroying cameras and damaging the structure. The tanks left the base after about 45 minutes, following complaints by UNIFIL officials.
However, the report states that within an hour, IDF troops fired what UNIFIL believes were white phosphorus rounds approximately 100 meters, or 328 feet, north of the base, injuring 15 people.
Israel denies deliberately targeting UNIFIL troops and claims without evidence that U.N. peacekeepers are being used as human shields by Hezbollah, which has launched nearly relentless volleys of rockets and other projectiles at Israel in solidarity with Gaza. Israel has demanded the U.N. evacuate its peacekeepers from southern Lebanon. UNIFIL and countries contributing troops to the mission have steadfastly refused.
"Despite the pressure being exerted on the mission and our troop-contributing countries, peacekeepers remain in all positions," UNIFIL said on Sunday. "We will continue to undertake our mandated tasks to monitor and report."
White phosphorus is banned for use in civilian areas but is commonly deployed on battlegrounds as a smokescreen or to smoke out enemy forces. It burns as hot as 1,500°F. Water does not extinguish it. Upon contact, white phosphorus burns thermally and chemically straight through to the bone.
It can also enter the bloodstream and cause organ failure. Dressed injuries can reignite when bandages are removed and the wounds are reexposed to oxygen. Relatively mild white phosphorus burns are often fatal. Survivors often suffer various physical disabilities.
Israeli forces have used white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon since last October, when Israel retaliated for the deadliest-ever attack on its soil by obliterating the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave in a war for which it is now on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Israel has also used white phosphorus in past wars, including during the 2006 invasion of Lebanon and at a United Nations school during the 2008-09 Operation Cast Lead invasion of Gaza. Responding to a 2013 petition to Israel's High Court of Justice filed by human rights groups including Human Rights Watch, the IDF said it would no longer use white phosphorus in populated areas, with "very narrow exceptions" that it would not disclose.
Other nations also use white phosphorus, including the United States, whose forces fired munitions containing the chemical agent during the invasion of Iraq and elsewhere across the region during the post-9/11 so-called "War on Terrorism."
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UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon Say Israeli Forces Fired on Them Again
"Yet again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a UNIFIL position."
Oct 16, 2024
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon announced Wednesday that Israel Defense Forces troops fired on one of its positions in the southern part of the country in the latest of a string of attacks that the mission said have injured five of its personnel.
"This morning, peacekeepers at a position near Kafer Kela observed an IDF Merkava tank firing at their watchtower. Two cameras were destroyed, and the tower was damaged," the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement. "Yet again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a UNIFIL position."
"We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of U.N. personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of U.N. premises at all times," the mission added.
The IDF said Wednesday that "UNIFIL infrastructure sites and forces are not a target."
Wednesday's reported incident follows other attacks by IDF troops on UNIFIL positions in southern Lebanon. Last week, two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured when an IDF tank fired on an observation tower at UNIFIL's headquarters in Naquora. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the incident as "intolerable" and said that it "cannot be repeated."
On Sunday, two IDF tanks forced their way into a UNIFIL post in Ramyah to request personnel to turn off their lights. IDF troops reportedly remained there for 45 minutes and set off smoke bombs, sickening numerous peacekeepers. The IDF admitted to these actions, claiming they occurred during an attempt to rescue wounded Israeli soldiers under fire.
That same day, Israel asked UNIFIL to withdraw its troops from Lebanon's border with Israel in order to keep them "out of harm's way."
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, replied that "peacekeepers remain in all positions and the U.N. flag continues to fly."
Djuarric noted that UNIFIL positions have been adversely affected 20 times by Israeli forces since the start of the IDF invasion of Lebanon earlier this month.
"Five peacekeepers have been injured during these incidents, including one peacekeeper who sustained a bullet wound," he said.
These incidents come amid Israel's escalation of its yearlong war on Gaza—which has left more than 150,000 Palestinians dead, wounded, or missing and for which it is on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice—into Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been launching rockets and other projectiles at Israel since immediately after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack.
Israel's invasion and bombardment of Lebanon—which has included the surprise detonation of thousands of pagers and other communication devices—has killed at least 2,350 people, wounded over 10,000 others, and forcibly displaced more than 1.3 million people since last October, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
On Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese city of Nabatieh's municipal headquarters killed at least 16 people, including Mayor Ahmad Kheil, who was leading a crisis response meeting, according toAl Jazeera. More than 50 others were wounded in the attack.
"The Israeli government has made it clear that it intends to expand its war across the region and resettle territories whose native populations they decimate," Council on American-Islamic Relations executive director Nihad Awad
said in response to the airstrike. "These are the actions of a rogue government that the Biden administration must stop enabling before more innocents are slaughtered and more chaos spreads."
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