Lebanese premier accuses Israel of causing climate crisis through bombings, phosphorus weapons

By Ikram Kouachi

ANKARA (AA) – Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati blamed Israel for the country's climate crisis on Saturday, saying the Israeli army's aggressive use of bombings, particularly phosphorus weapons, has caused irreparable damage to more than 5,000 square meters of agricultural land and forests.

“The serious environmental deterioration in Lebanon is one of the effects of the Israeli aggression underway,” Mikati said at the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

“The Israeli use of indiscriminate weapons, such as white phosphorus weapons, causes the irreparable damage of more than 5,000 square meters of agricultural land and forests, which is destroying the livelihoods and revenue sources of our people,” he said.

Amnesty International said on Oct. 31 that the Israeli army fired artillery shells containing white phosphorus, an incendiary weapon, in military operations along Lebanon's southern border between Oct. 10 and Oct. 16.

Mikati stressed the need “to recognize the disastrous consequences of war on the environment.”

The prime minister also emphasized the need “to tackle the growing climatic challenges by rebuilding sustainable and green economies.”

He called on “all to go beyond our differences, and to work for the benefit of all, to ensure a better world for future generations.”

The COP28 event is attracting over 180 heads of state and governments from across the globe, and over half a million people applied to attend.

The conference will run until Dec. 12.