US 'concerned' about reports that Israel used white phosphorus in Lebanon attack
Israel used US-supplied white phosphorus munitions in an attack carried out in southern Lebanon in October, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on Monday (local time).
Speaking to reporters while en route to Philadelphia, John Kirby said the US will be asking questions to get more details about it. He stressed that the US provides material like white phosphorus to another military with the full expectation that it will be used for legitimate purposes and in keeping with the law of armed conflict.
Asked about reports claiming that Israel used US-supplied white phosphorus munitions in October attack in Lebanon, Kirby said, «We've seen the reports.
Certainly concerned about that. We'll be asking questions to try to learn a little bit more.
I do think it's important to remind that white phosphorus does have a legitimate military utility in terms of illumination and producing smoke to conceal movements.»
«And obviously, anytime that we provide items like white phosphorus to another military, it is with the full expectation that it will be used in keeping with those legitimate purposes and in keeping with the law of armed conflict. But we've seen these reports.
They're fresh. Just don't have any more on it right now,» he added.
Kirby made the remarks in response to The Washington Post report that claimed that US-supplied white phosphorus munitions were used in an October attack in southern Lebanon. The attack had injured at least nine civilians in what a rights group says should be investigated as a war crime, The Washington Post reported citing its analysis of shell fragments found in a small village.
A journalist working for The Washington Post found remnants of three
