by C. Alessandro Mauceri –
The attack by the Israeli armed forces on UNIFIL positions in Lebanon has fueled a nest of controversy. The Lebanese ministry confirmed that the Israelis opened fire on UNIFIL, wounding 2 peacekeepers (neither Italian, as confirmed by the spokesman of the peacekeeping mission UN peacekeeper, Andrea Tenenti). According to what the Israeli media also wrote, the Israeli army fired at a sentry post belonging to the peacekeeping force in their main base in Naqoura, in southern Lebanon.
The Israelis justified themselves by saying that they had ordered the UNIFIL peacekeepers to leave the base. And when they refused, he attacked.
The opinion from the Italian authorities is harsh. Minister Crosetto called the Israeli ambassador to Italy to deliver a message to him that talks about the violation of international law (humanitarian) and war crimes. The Italian authorities prevented themselves from protesting and criticizing what happened. But no one had the courage to take the most important (and in many ways, necessary) step: that is, recalling the Italian ambassador to Israel.
According to some, the reason for such arrogance on the part of Israel, ordering a United Nations agency to do something and attacking the UN peacekeepers, is not a small thing. opening a link by the sea to connect the two active fronts in Lebanon: the south and the north.
Actually, the real reason for Israel’s attack may be others. Both are much more dangerous.
On July 12, in the report related to mission 1701 presented by UNIFIL, the use of white phosphorus weapons was mentioned at least three times. In the report submitted by the peacekeepers, it is said that “UNIFIL observed artillery attacks in which white phosphorus ammunition was used at least three times: on March 3 near Dayr Amis (Western Region), on April 3 near Ayta al-Sha’. b (Western Region) and on June 6 near Arab al-Luwayzah (Eastern Region)”. And “the Israel Defense Forces carried out almost daily flights in Lebanon, including a to target Hezbollah commanders in the UNIFIL area of operations.”
UNIFIL confirmation is very important. In 2013, Israel was among the countries that pledged not to use white phosphorus weapons. But this is not the first time he has been accused of using this weapon. Last year, a (written) report submitted by Amnesty International stated that between October 10 and 16, Israeli artillery had used munitions containing white phosphorus during military operations on the border with Lebanon. . This is also confirmed by the videos published by Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab that were shot on October 16 in Dhayra. Here we see plumes of smoke consistent with white phosphorous ammunition fired by artillery. AI also reports the testimony of an emergency room doctor at an Italian Lebanese hospital, who said that on October 16 and 17 his staff had treated nine people from Dhayra with coughs and breathing problems.
Ali Safieddine, the regional director of Lebanon’s Civil Defense, which led the evacuation of the wounded to hospital on October 16 and the evacuation of Dhayra the following day, told Amnesty International that his staff had received phone calls from people in the area to the they spoke. of “bombs that smell bad and cause suffocation once inhaled”. This is Safieddine’s testimony: “We couldn’t even see our hands because of the thick white fog that covered the city all night [del 16] until the next morning.” A few days earlier, Amnesty International had documented Israel’s use of white phosphorus weapons against densely populated areas in Gaza. At that time, the Israeli authorities denied that they had used white phosphorus in their military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
Human Rights Watch had also accused Israel of using white phosphorus weapons, both in the Gaza Strip and in southern Lebanon. In fact, it has done so several times, both on October 12 Israel and recently, in June 2024 (so before the UNIFIL report was presented).
According to documents released by Human Rights Watch, Israeli forces have used white phosphorus weapons in at least 17 municipalities in southern Lebanon since October 2023. In five of these, it is said that to use illegal weapons in densely populated residential areas. “Israel’s use of white phosphorus weapons in densely populated areas disproportionately targets civilians, many of whom have been forced to flee their homes,” said HRW’s Ramzi Kaiss. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said that from May 28 to mid-June 2024, at least 173 people were injured by white phosphorus weapons.
UNIFIL also said that they received requests from various parties to shed light on the matter. “We are trying to confirm,” said Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for UNIFIL.
After the investigations, a report was given to the General Assembly of the United Nations on July 12, 2024 confirming several cases in which these weapons were used.
The United Nations Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) was approved in Geneva on 10 October 1980 and entered into force in December 1983. It has five protocols:
Protocol I – Prohibits the use of weapons intended to injure through fragments that cannot be detected in the body by X-ray;
Protocol II – Prohibiting and restricting the use of mines and booby traps;
Protocol III – Prohibits the use of incendiary weapons;
Protocol IV – Limiting the use of blinding laser weapons (adopted October 13, 1995, in Vienna);
Protocol V – Establishing obligations and best practices for the clearance of explosive remnants of war (adopted 28 November 2003 in Geneva).
White phosphorus bombs fall under Protocol III. According to this agreement, the devices cannot be used to hit civilian targets or military targets located “within a concentration of civilians”. The document also confirms that the use of white phosphorous is permitted only for lighting purposes, to frighten one’s troops or to create smoke screens, to cover the rear or to prevent the enemy from moving forward. To date, Protocol III has been ratified by 117 states (including Lebanon). Some have signed it but not yet ratified it. Israel did not sign or ratify it.
