Legal Framework

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court — Article 8(2)(b)(xx)

Criminalizes the use of weapons and methods of warfare that cause superfluous injury, unnecessary suffering, or are inherently indiscriminate, codifying long-standing customary law on prohibited weapons.

Related incidents

3 incidents

Pentagon Signs $210M+ Deal to Purchase Cluster Munitions From Israel

The US contracted with an Israeli state-owned arms manufacturer for banned cluster munitions at industrial scale, reversing decades of declining reliance on these weapons and funding an Israeli …

  • On September 30, 2025, the Pentagon awarded an indefinite delivery/quantity contract with a ceiling value of $829.1 million to Tomer, an …
  • The contract was awarded without public competition under a 'public interest' exception to federal contracting law, bypassing normal …

Hegseth Reverses US Landmine Ban, Rescinds $5B+ Humanitarian Demining Program

The Trump administration reversed decades of bipartisan progress toward eliminating antipersonnel landmines by authorizing their global use and simultaneously dismantling the US humanitarian demining …

  • Defense Secretary Hegseth signed a memo on December 2, 2025, reversing the Biden-era policy that prohibited US use of antipersonnel …
  • The same memo rescinded the US Humanitarian Mine Program, a decades-long government initiative that had provided over $5 billion in …

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 …

  • Over 918 hectares hit across 191 white phosphorus attacks in southern Lebanon since October 2023, with 39% striking directly over civilian …
  • HRW verified the March 3, 2026 use of airburst white phosphorus over residential homes in Yohmor, classifying it as unlawfully …