White phosphorus fired by the Israeli army to create a smoke screen is seen at the Israeli-Lebanese border in northern Israel November 12, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein /File Photo Acquire license rights
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Dec 11 (Reuters) – The United States is concerned by reports that Israel used U.S.-supplied white phosphorous munitions in an October attack in the south Lebanon, White House spokesman John Kirby said Monday.
“We’ve seen the reports. We’re certainly concerned about it. We’ll ask questions to try to learn a little more,” Kirby told reporters on Air Force One.
Kirby said white phosphorus had “legitimate military utility” for illumination and producing smoke to conceal movement.
“Obviously, any time we provide products like white phosphorus to another military, it is with the expectation that it will be used in accordance with those legitimate objectives… and in accordance with the law of armed conflict,” he said. -he declares.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, when asked about the report that Israel used white phosphorus in Lebanon, said: “The IDF and the entire security establishment act in accordance with international law. This is how we have acted and how we will act. »
Steve Holland reporting on Air Force One and Jeff Mason in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter and Nick Zieminski
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
