Hezbollah Claims Israel Dropped Cluster Bombs on Southern Lebanon

According to SAEDNEWS, The Lebanese resistance group, Hezbollah, has reported that Israel attacked southern Lebanon with “missiles loaded with cluster bombs.” This claim raises serious concerns because cluster munitions are internationally banned due to their potential to cause severe harm to civilians, both immediately and over time.

In a statement released on Sunday, Hezbollah stated that Israeli forces targeted the towns of Hanin and Tiri, located in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon. “We are not surprised at all by the new barbaric crime, which is added to Israel’s record of crimes against the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples,” said the group, as reported by Press TV.

This recent use of banned munitions is not a new occurrence. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Israel also deployed cluster bombs during its 33-day conflict with Lebanon in 2006, hitting populated areas at that time.

In addition to cluster bombs, rights organizations have highlighted Israel’s use of US-supplied white phosphorus munitions in attacks on both Gaza and Lebanon last October. Furthermore, HRW reported that Israel used white phosphorus bombs again in southern Lebanon in March of this year and issued a warning in June about the indiscriminate harm caused by these munitions in populated areas.

HRW has documented that Israeli forces used white phosphorus munitions in at least 17 municipalities in southern Lebanon since the escalation of military actions in October 2023, which coincided with Israel's conflict in the Gaza Strip. Notably, the U.S. has provided strong military support to Israel throughout this period.

Since 2010, more than 100 countries have banned the use of cluster munitions under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, emphasizing their potential for devastating civilian impact.