Lebanon accuses Israel of using white phosphorus bombs in the latest attack on Hezbollah. Report from the Lebanese state news agency (ANN) indicates that The explosion occurred in a residential building in Beirut.. As a result of the strike, aimed at the office of a medical center, nine people were killed and a fire started in one of the areas of the center of the capital.
According to ANNSome Beirut residents reported the smell of sulfur in the city after the attack. The explosion comes after an escalation of armed conflict in the Middle East in which Israel has targeted the Shiite group. The Lebanese Ministry of Health stated that nine people were killed and 14 were injured.
While Israel has not confirmed the use of white phosphorus in its bombing of Lebanon, this is not the first time it has been accused of using banned weapons. A year ago, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Israel of putting civilians at risk. army bombed targets in Gaza and Lebanon using this chemicalwhich can cause burns and damage to other organs.
What is white phosphorus?
White phosphorus is a waxy solid that ignites when exposed to oxygen. Once this is done, reaches temperatures of up to 800 degrees Celsius and is difficult to extinguish.. Due to its composition, white phosphorus can stick to surfaces such as skin or clothing and cause deep burns.
Its military use is limited to creating illumination or a smoke screen. However, Israel and other countries use white phosphorus in direct-target missiles and artillery. Exploding in the air spreads over a large area and burns until it rusts completely or the oxygen has gone out.
Exposure to white phosphorus is harmful in all respects.. Although it is often considered harmful to the skin, contact with the eyes can cause burns or perforation of the cornea. On the other hand, smoke causes irritation of the upper respiratory tract and delayed pulmonary edema.
According to WHO, white phosphorus is highly soluble in lipids, therefore can penetrate tissue and cause deep burns. In some cases, particles stuck to damaged tissue are reactivated if the wound is opened and exposed to oxygen, causing further damage.
Roman Hossein Khonsari, a professor of plastic surgery at the Necker-Enfant Malade Hospital in Paris, notes that white phosphorus burns have a double effect and damage several organs. “They have a local effect due to the burn itself, which is usually quite severe and very deep, and then the second effect is metabolic, which can kill patients“, said.
Why Israel or any other country should not use white phosphorus as a weapon
The use of white phosphorus in armed conflict prohibited by the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCAC). Protocol III on the Prohibition of Incendiary Weapons specifies that attacks are not permitted in the vicinity of civilian assemblies, the purpose of which is to cause arson and burns.
According to Article 2 of the Protocol, “it is prohibited in all circumstances attack with air-dropped incendiary weapons any military objective located in an area where the civilian population is concentrated“. The most recent attack using white phosphorus was carried out at the office of the Hezbollah-affiliated Health Society medical center located in the residential area of Bashour.
It is also prohibited to attack with incendiary weapons, other than those launched from the air, any military objective located in an area where there is a concentration of civilian population, unless the said military objective is clearly separated from the concentration of civilian population and all possible precautions have been taken to limit incendiary fire. impact on a military objective and avoid and in any event minimize incidental loss of civilian life, civilian injury and damage to civilian property.
However, white phosphorus violates international treaties. In Israel they believe that it is not much different from gasoline when reacting to a lit match. Israeli army used this agent in the war against Hamas. The most documented incident occurred in late 2008 during Operation Cast Lead, a military offensive targeting Palestinian group buildings that used white phosphorus.
Source: Hiper Textual
