Israel Unlawfully Used White Phosphorus In Lebanon, What Caused Missile Strike In Saudi Arabia’s Al-Kharj?

9th March 2026 at 4:30 PM

1 minute read

Jerusalem : As the war in West Asia intensifies, the Human Rights Watch has verified the use of incendiary weapon over residential areas in southern Lebanon. Human Rights Watch verified and geolocated seven images showing airburst white phosphorus munitions being deployed over a residential part of the town and civil defense workers responding to fires in at least two homes and one car in that area.

He further elaborated, The incendiary effects of white phosphorous can cause death or cruel injuries that result in lifelong suffering. White phosphorus is a chemical substance used in artillery shells, bombs, and rockets that ignites on contact with oxygen. It can cause fires in homes, farmland, and other civilian structures. Under international humanitarian law, using airburst white phosphorus in populated areas is considered indiscriminate and fails to meet the legal requirement of taking all feasible precautions to prevent civilian harm.

However, its use in populated areas raises serious concerns. When deployed as an airburst projectile, it scatters about 116 burning felt wedges soaked in the substance over a wide area, roughly 125 to 250 meters in diameter, depending on the burst’s height and angle, potentially exposing civilians and civilian structures to greater harm than a more localised ground explosion. Human Rights Watch said it verified and geolocated an image shared on social media on the morning of March 3 that appears to show at least two artillery-fired white phosphorus munitions detonating mid-air over a residential neighborhood in the town of Yohmor in southern Lebanon.

The organisation said the smoke pattern visible in the image matches the distinctive “knuckle” shape produced by the expelling and bursting charges of the M825-series 155mm artillery projectile, which is known to contain white phosphorus. The allegations become significant as Israel warned residents to leave Beirut’s southern suburbs, including Hezbollah-controlled areas, on Thursday. At least 2 years back in a similar incident, allegations of using white phosphorus munitions in their military operations in Gaza and Lebanon have been levelled up by Human Rights Watch against Israel.