UN 'very concerned' about report Israel used US-supplied white phosphorus in Lebanon

By Serife Cetin and Iclal Turan

NEW YORK (AA) - The UN said Monday that it is "very concerned" over a report suggesting that Israel used US-supplied white phosphorus munitions in an attack in southern Lebanon.

Asked by Anadolu about the report by The Washington Post, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said he does not have any information to confirm.

"We're obviously very concerned about any use of these types of incendiary munitions, especially in populated areas.

"But we will see if I have anything more to share with you on that," he added.

The Washington Post reported on the Oct. 16 Israeli attack in Dheira, a Lebanese town near the border with Israel, in which at least nine civilians were wounded.

Human rights group Amnesty International has called for an investigation, labeling the incident a potential war crime.

Among the nine injured in the attack, at least three were hospitalized, one for days, according to the report.

Anadolu has also taken some photographs showing the use of white phosphorus bombs on civilians in Gaza, while several lawyers said they can be used as evidence in a complaint against Israel.

Since Oct. 7, tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of gunfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.