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US probes Israel cluster bomb use

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US probes Israel cluster bomb use



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Several people returning home have been hurt by munitions

The US State Department has launched an inquiry into whether Israel misused US-made cluster bombs in Lebanon during the recent conflict.


Cluster bombs spray large numbers of bomblets over a wide area - which can remain unexploded and endanger civilians long after they are fired.

US-made weapons have been found at many of 300 sites in south Lebanon hit by cluster bombs, according to the UN.
Israel says all its weapons usage conforms to international standards.

Secret agreements

"We are definitely looking into these allegations and we'll see where they lead," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said on Friday.


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He said the investigation would look into what munitions were used and how they were deployed.
A senior White House official told the BBC that the investigation will focus on whether US-made weapons were used against non-military targets.

Washington has supplied Israel with cluster bombs since the 1970s, on the understanding that they would only be used against defined military targets.

'Balconies and roofs'

The UN's Mine Action Coordination Centre says it has found 318 sites in south Lebanon where cluster bombs have been used.

"A lot of them are in civilian areas, on farmland and in people's homes, said spokeswoman Dalya Farran.

"We're finding a lot at the entrances to houses, on balconies and roofs," she said.

"Sometimes windows are broken and they get inside the houses."
"Most of them are from America," Ms Farran said.

According to the UN, eight Lebanese have been killed and at least 30 wounded by exploding ordnance left behind after the 14 August ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into force.

Hezbollah tactics


Although cluster bombs themselves are not illegal under international law, many human rights groups believe their use in populated areas violates the prohibition on indiscriminate attacks contained in the Geneva Conventions.

The Israeli army said all weapons it uses were "legal under international law and their use conforms with international standards".

A congressional investigation after Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982 found Israel guilty of intentionally dropping cluster bombs in civilian areas.

A six year ban was imposed on further sales of the weapons to Israel.
But a senior White House official told the BBC that the current investigation is unlikely to lead to any serious repercussions.
Throughout the recent conflict, Israel argued that it tried to minimise civilian casualties. But it said that Hezbollah fighters had hidden rocket launchers in houses, blurring the distinction between civilian and military targets.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5286352.stm
 
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The unexploded bomblets are the size of a drinks can


Clearing unexploded Israeli cluster bombs from southern Lebanon could take 12 months, the head of the UN weapons clearance team there has told the BBC.


Chris Clark, head of the UN Mine Action Service in southern Lebanon, said 22 people have been injured, but none killed, while handling live munitions.

"Bomblets" have already been found at 30 locations, but Mr Clark said he expected a final total of over 100.

Israel says all munitions it uses in conflict comply with international law.
But the New York-based group Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of acting outside the rules of war by firing cluster bombs into civilian areas.

Critics of cluster bombs say the relatively high numbers of unexploded bomblets can kill and maim long after conflict has ended.
All Israeli cluster bombs found in southern Lebanon were contained in artillery shells, the UN said, and were not dropped from planes overhead.

Lengthy task

Speaking to the BBC from Tyre, southern Lebanon, Mr Clark said UN mine clearance teams had inspected just 40% of sites known to have been hit by Israeli munitions during the recent conflict with Hezbollah.
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"There is a whole new problem here"


Chris Clark
UN Mine Action Service, southern Lebanon

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"The picture is still emerging at the moment, but there is a general spread of these munitions throughout southern Lebanon," Mr Clark said.

The Mine Action Service had a presence in southern Lebanon long before this year's fighting, clearing mines and unexploded ordnance from previous conflicts.
But Mr Clark said the aftermath of the recent fighting had to take precedence over the search for mines laid during Israel's 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon.

"Now there is a whole new problem here. In terms of the new problem I would like to think that we could get it under control in six months and complete clearance in 12 months."

Legality questioned

Thousands of Lebanese have been returning to their homes to inspect damage caused by Israeli air strikes and clashes on the ground between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.
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Dense sandbags are used to dispose of unexploded bomblets


Mine clearing teams in the area, as well as Human Rights Watch, have warned of the dangers of casualties as people clear rubble from homes and roads.

Mr Clark hopes further casualties can be minimised by telling people to stay away from the bomblets, which resemble the bulky batteries often used in torches.

The director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, has warned that cluster bombs with high failure rates "effectively become anti-personnel landmines", and that their use in civilian areas breaks a legal ban on indiscriminate attacks. In response, the Israeli military told the BBC: "All the weapons and munitions used by the Israel Defence Forces are legal under international law and their use conforms to international standards."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5263616.stm
 
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Fact file: Cluster bombs - introduction


Cluster bombs are controversial weapons consisting of a canister which breaks apart to release a large number of small bombs. Click on the links in the image to find out more.

A range of so-called bomblets can be employed to attack different targets such as armoured vehicles or people - or to start fires.

They can cover a large area but do not have precision guidance. Dropped from medium to high altitudes, they can wander off target.

There is a significant "dud rate" of about 5%. In other words, many do
not explode but, rather like landmines, litter the ground with the potential to explode years later.

The weapon

One widely-used cluster bomb is the US-manufactured CBU-87/B "combined effects munition". Weighing 950 lbs (430 kgs), it is the carrier for 202 BLU-97/B bomblets.
It can be dropped from a wide range of strike aircraft.
Wind corrected munitions dispensers - a tail kit containing guidance equipment - can be used to improve accuracy. Dropped from 40,000 ft, it can steer to a target area about nine miles away.
 
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Human Rights Watch and several western goverments have asked for craification as children are being killed every day by unexploded devices in densly populated area's.
It seems that Israel used large number of CBU's during final hours of War in densly populated area's.

CNN showed a map which I can't find on the net yet.

Israel comitted a genocide!!
 
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It is worth knowing what type of cluster bombs were used.

Normally, it is used for armour.
 
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