ALBAWABA - Lebanon announced that it will be filing an official complaint to the United Nations Security Council against Israel for "using white phosphorus in striking Lebanese border areas".
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said in a statement that he had instructed the Lebanese mission to the UN to submit a complaint to the Security Council to "condemn Israel’s use of white phosphorus in its repeated attacks against Lebanon and its deliberate burning of Lebanese woods and forests".
The use of white phosphorus in areas with a dense civilian population is prohibited, however, there are records of Israeli forces using the internationally prohibited weapon to attack densely populated areas near the Lebanese borders and Gaza in its latest aggression on the besieged strip.
When inhaled or having any form of direct contact with, white phosphorus can cause sudden lung injuries and suffocation, in addition to burns to the skin, so severe it can melt the skin layers all the way to the bones.
Fires caused by white phosphorus bombs can spread over large areas and continue until the phosphorus diminishes.
Due to its contagious nature, the treatment of those exposed to it needs special training. Exposure to white phosphorus at certain intervals can lead to severe deformations and fractures of the jawbone.
In a recent investigation, Amnesty International revealed evidence that the Israeli army used white phosphorus in its attacks on Lebanon. The investigation mentioned an Israeli attack on the Lebanese town of Dhayra on October 16, calling it "indiscriminate" and said that it "must be investigated as a war crime".
