Newsroom
Human Rights Watch (HRW) says it has verified evidence that Israeli forces fired white phosphorus artillery shells over the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor on March 3, 2026, raising concerns about potential violations of international humanitarian law.
According to the organization, images and videos posted online show at least two artillery rounds dispersing white phosphorus in midair above a residential neighborhood. The airburst pattern visible in the footage matches the characteristic smoke formations produced by 155mm M825-series artillery shells, which contain white phosphorus.
HRW analyzed eight images and confirmed their location in Yohmor. Additional photos shared by a local civil defense unit show firefighters putting out blazes on rooftops and in a vehicle, with smoke rising from nearby buildings. The sites documented in the photos were within about 160 meters of each other. Investigators say the fires were likely caused by burning fragments of white phosphorus that spread after the shells burst overhead.
White phosphorus ignites on contact with oxygen and burns intensely, making it capable of setting buildings, farmland, and other structures on fire. While the substance can be used to create smoke screens, mark targets, or illuminate battlefields, its use over populated areas is widely criticized because it can scatter burning material across a wide area. In airburst form, a single shell can disperse more than a hundred burning pieces across a radius of roughly 125–250 meters.
Human Rights Watch argues that deploying such munitions over residential zones is indiscriminate and fails to meet the obligation under international law to minimize harm to civilians. The organization warned that the substance can cause severe burns and life-threatening injuries, often leaving survivors with permanent damage.
Earlier on the morning of the reported strike, an Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli military issued evacuation instructions for Yohmor and about 50 surrounding communities, advising residents to move at least one kilometer away from their villages. The notice was posted at 5:27 a.m. and repeated around midday. HRW said it could not confirm whether civilians were present in the affected area at the time or whether anyone was injured by the white phosphorus.
The organization also noted that it previously documented the Israeli military’s use of white phosphorus in southern Lebanese border areas between October 2023 and May 2024. Those incidents, it said, increased risks to civilians and contributed to displacement.
Fighting between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah escalated again on March 2, 2026. By March 6, Lebanon’s health ministry reported at least 217 deaths from the renewed hostilities, with hundreds of thousands of people forced from their homes. An update later indicated the total death toll had reached 394 by March 8.
Israel has also issued evacuation orders covering the entire region south of the Litani River and Beirut’s southern suburbs, areas that together contain hundreds of thousands of residents. Human Rights Watch said the broad scope of these directives raises concerns that they could amount to unlawful forced displacement if not strictly necessary for civilian protection.
International law does not ban white phosphorus outright, but its use is restricted. A protocol of the Convention on Conventional Weapons regulates incendiary weapons, although critics say the treaty leaves gaps because it excludes certain multipurpose munitions such as those containing white phosphorus and applies stricter rules to weapons dropped from aircraft than to those launched from the ground.
Human Rights Watch called on Israel to stop firing airburst white phosphorus shells in populated areas and urged countries that supply weapons to Israel, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, to reconsider military assistance if such practices continue. The group also encouraged Lebanese authorities to investigate alleged violations and suggested that Lebanon consider joining the International Criminal Court to allow broader legal accountability.
According to HRW, alternative smoke-producing munitions exist that can achieve similar battlefield effects without spreading burning material across civilian areas.
With information from Human Rights Watch.
