US-Supplied White Phosphorus Used Over Lebanese Civilian Areas
Israel deployed US-supplied white phosphorus over Lebanese civilian areas in 191 attacks across 17+ municipalities since October 2023, continuing through March 2026. HRW verified the attacks as unlawfully indiscriminate and called for suspension of US arms transfers.
Record summary
Grade
Grade 5 of 5: War Crime / Crime Against Humanity
Conduct that satisfies the legal elements of a war crime under the Rome Statute (Article 8), a crime against humanity (Article 7), or genocide (Article 6). Scale and definitions
- Status
- Ongoing
- Incident date
- Record updated
- Location
- Southern Lebanon
- Category
- Complicity in Genocide
- Legal posture
- Reported
- War-crime classification
- Probable
- ICC relevance
- Yes
- Sources
- 7 cited
- Stable ID
white-phosphorus-lebanon-complicity- Legal basis
- CCW Protocol III (incendiary weapons), Additional Protocol I Articles 35 and 51 (indiscriminate attacks, superfluous injury), Rome Statute Article 8(2)(b)(xx) (war crimes), Arms Trade Treaty Article 6 (prohibition on arms transfers with knowledge of unlawful use)
- Posture note
- HRW has documented the attacks extensively and called for suspension of US arms transfers. The US has not publicly acknowledged its role in supplying the munitions or responded to calls for suspension. Israel has not acknowledged unlawful use. The ICC has jurisdiction over the situation.
- Victims
- Lebanese civilians in at least 17 municipalities across southern Lebanon, including the towns of Yohmor, Dhayra, Aita al-Chaab, and al-Mari. White phosphorus causes severe burns, respiratory damage, and persistent contamination. Civil defense workers responding to fires are also at risk.
- Alleged responsible parties
- Israeli military (direct use of white phosphorus munitions), United States (supply of white phosphorus munitions and continued arms transfers despite documented unlawful use)
Key points
- Over 918 hectares hit across 191 white phosphorus attacks in southern Lebanon since October 2023, with 39% striking directly over civilian areas and only 44% in uninhabited zones.
- HRW verified the March 3, 2026 use of airburst white phosphorus over residential homes in Yohmor, classifying it as unlawfully indiscriminate under international humanitarian law.
- US-supplied white phosphorus munitions were confirmed used in attacks on Lebanese border villages including Dhayra, documented by both Amnesty International and the Washington Post.
- HRW called on states providing Israel with weapons, including the United States, to immediately suspend military assistance and arms sales, citing complicity in unlawful attacks.
- The continued supply of white phosphorus munitions despite documented unlawful use creates state responsibility for the US under the Arms Trade Treaty and complicity doctrines.
What Happened
Since October 2023, the Israeli military has deployed white phosphorus munitions extensively across southern Lebanon, with attacks continuing through March 2026. The munitions include US-supplied white phosphorus shells, creating direct US complicity in attacks that Human Rights Watch has classified as unlawfully indiscriminate under international humanitarian law.
Scale of Use
A comprehensive investigation by France 24's Observers team documented 191 white phosphorus attacks across southern Lebanon, striking over 918 hectares (2,268 acres). The geographic distribution reveals the indiscriminate nature of the campaign:
- 39% of strikes hit directly over civilian areas
- 16% struck agricultural land
- Only 44% targeted uninhabited areas or areas far from residents
Human Rights Watch verified white phosphorus use in at least 17 municipalities across southern Lebanon, including five where airburst munitions were deployed directly over populated residential areas.
March 2026 Yohmor Attack
On March 3, 2026, the Israeli military fired airburst white phosphorus munitions over residential homes in the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor. HRW verified and geolocated eight images showing the attack, documenting fires in at least two homes and one car caused by the burning phosphorus. The organization classified this as unlawfully indiscriminate — airburst white phosphorus in populated areas cannot meet the legal requirement to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm.
US-Supplied Munitions
The Washington Post and multiple human rights organizations have confirmed that US-supplied white phosphorus munitions were used in attacks on Lebanese border villages including Dhayra, Aita al-Chaab, and al-Mari. The United States continues to supply arms to Israel despite repeated documentation of unlawful use.
Persistent Contamination
White phosphorus leaves persistent chemical contamination. A December 2025 study documented ongoing danger from white phosphorus residue in southern Lebanese communities, posing risks to returning civilians, agricultural workers, and children.
Legal Analysis
Direct Violations by Israel
The use of airburst white phosphorus over populated residential areas violates:
- CCW Protocol III: Prohibits making civilians the object of attack with incendiary weapons and using air-delivered incendiary weapons against targets within concentrations of civilians.
- Additional Protocol I Article 51: Prohibits indiscriminate attacks not directed at a specific military objective.
- Rome Statute Article 8(2)(b)(xx): War crime of employing weapons causing superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.
US Complicity Through Arms Transfers
The United States bears responsibility as an arms supplier:
- Arms Trade Treaty Article 6: Prohibits authorization of arms transfers when the state has knowledge the arms would be used to commit attacks directed against civilian objects. The extensive documentation by HRW, Amnesty International, and the Washington Post provides constructive knowledge.
- Customary international law: States that provide material assistance to another state knowing it will be used to commit internationally wrongful acts share responsibility under the doctrine of complicity.
- Continued supply: HRW has specifically called on the US to suspend arms transfers. The continued supply of white phosphorus munitions and other weapons after documented unlawful use strengthens the basis for complicity claims.
Why This Is Classified Extreme
- Scale: 191 attacks covering 918+ hectares, with 39% striking directly over civilian areas.
- Verified war crimes: HRW has classified multiple attacks as unlawfully indiscriminate under international humanitarian law.
- US-supplied munitions: Direct link between US arms transfers and documented unlawful attacks on civilians.
- Continuing and escalating: Attacks documented as recently as March 2026, indicating no change in practice despite international condemnation.
- Persistent harm: Chemical contamination poses ongoing risks to civilian populations long after strikes.
- ICC jurisdiction: The situation is within ICC jurisdiction, creating potential liability for both Israeli and US officials.
International Law Violations
- CCW Protocol III (Incendiary Weapons): Use of white phosphorus over populated areas violates restrictions on incendiary weapons.
- Additional Protocol I Article 51: Indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas.
- Additional Protocol I Article 35: Methods of warfare causing superfluous injury.
- Rome Statute Article 8(2)(b)(xx): War crime of using weapons causing unnecessary suffering.
- Arms Trade Treaty Article 6: US supply of weapons with knowledge of unlawful use.
International law engaged
| Instrument | Provision | What it protects or prohibits |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol III to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons | Article 2 | Prohibition on making civilians the object of attack by incendiary weapons, and on using air-delivered incendiary weapons against military targets within concentrations of civilians |
| Geneva Conventions | Additional Protocol I, Article 51 | Prohibition on indiscriminate attacks that are not directed at a specific military objective |
| Geneva Conventions | Additional Protocol I, Article 35 | Prohibition on methods or means of warfare which cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering |
| Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court | Article 8(2)(b)(xx) | War crime: employing weapons, projectiles, material and methods of warfare which cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering |
| Arms Trade Treaty | Article 6 | States shall not authorize transfer of arms if they have knowledge the arms would be used in attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects |
Independent legal analysis
- Lebanon: Israel Unlawfully Using White Phosphorus Human Rights Watch
- Lebanon: Israel's White Phosphorous Use Risks Civilian Harm Human Rights Watch
- Israeli Officials Signal Stepped-Up Atrocities in Lebanon Human Rights Watch
Primary documents
- Study reveals persistent danger from Israel's white phosphorus strikes in southern Lebanon Investigative report, France 24 Study documenting the persistent contamination and danger from white phosphorus residue in southern Lebanese communities.
Sequence of events
-
White phosphorus use in Lebanon begins
Israeli forces begin using white phosphorus munitions in southern Lebanon, with HRW documenting use in municipalities along the border in the days following October 7, 2023.
-
HRW documents white phosphorus use across 17 municipalities
Human Rights Watch publishes detailed findings documenting Israeli white phosphorus use in at least 17 municipalities across southern Lebanon, including five where airburst munitions were used over populated residential areas.
-
Study reveals persistent contamination danger
France 24 reports on a study revealing persistent danger from white phosphorus contamination in southern Lebanese communities, including risks to returning civilians and agricultural workers.
-
Investigation confirms widespread use across southern Lebanon
France 24 Observers team publishes investigation confirming widespread Israeli use of white phosphorus across southern Lebanon, documenting 191 attacks covering over 918 hectares.
-
Airburst white phosphorus deployed over homes in Yohmor
Israeli military fires airburst white phosphorus munitions over residential homes in the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor. HRW verifies and geolocates eight images showing the attack and resulting fires in homes and vehicles.
-
HRW demands halt to white phosphorus use and arms transfers
Human Rights Watch publishes its latest report classifying the Yohmor attack as unlawfully indiscriminate and calling on states providing Israel with weapons, including white phosphorus munitions, to immediately suspend military assistance.
Sources
- Lebanon: Israel Unlawfully Using White Phosphorus — Human Rights Watch archived ✓
- Israel unlawfully used white phosphorus in Lebanon: HRW — Al Jazeera archived ✓
- Lebanon: Israel's White Phosphorous Use Risks Civilian Harm — Human Rights Watch archived ✓
- Study reveals persistent danger from Israel's white phosphorus strikes — France 24 archived ✓
- Israel used white phosphorus over civilian homes in Lebanon, HRW says — JURIST archived ✓
- Lebanese parliament extends term as Israel intensifies attacks on Lebanon — Washington Post archived ✓
- Israeli Officials Signal Stepped-Up Atrocities in Lebanon — Human Rights Watch archived ✓