Israeli forces reportedly targeted Lebanese farmers with phosphorus munitions in the southern town of Mansouri in the Tyre district, according to social media reports that have not been independently verified.
Video footage circulating on Instagram, posted by Megaphone News, purports to show the aftermath of the incident. However, the claims require independent confirmation from Lebanese authorities or international monitors before they can be verified.
The alleged incident, if confirmed, would represent a potential violation of the ceasefire terms that ended the most recent hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Neither Lebanese security officials nor UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon have issued statements confirming the reports at the time of publication.
White phosphorus munitions have been a recurring source of controversy along the Lebanon-Israel border. The substance, which ignites on contact with oxygen and can cause severe burns, is legal to use for creating smokescreens or illumination in open areas under international humanitarian law. However, its use near civilian populations is prohibited due to the severe risk of injury.
Human Rights Watch and other international organizations have previously documented the use of white phosphorus by Israeli forces in Lebanon during the 2006 war and in subsequent border incidents. Israel has maintained that any such use complies with international law and is limited to military purposes.
The Tyre district, where Mansouri is located, lies within the zone covered by UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war. Under the resolution, the area south of the is supposed to be free of unauthorized weapons and armed personnel other than the army and UN peacekeepers.
