Lebanon to Sue Israel Over White Phosphorus Attacks on Farmlands
Israeli reservists walk along a dirt road on the Lebanon side of the border after crossing from northern Israel. 
BEIRUT (Sputnik) – The Lebanese government will file new lawsuits against Israel through the United Nations after completing an assessment of the damage that Israel’s use of white phosphorus in attacks on the country’s south had on its agricultural land, Lebanon’s acting agriculture minister, Abbas Hajj Hassan, told Sputnik. “Lebanon used the Foreign Ministry’s channels to file lawsuits against Israel… More lawsuits will be filed after commissions at the Agriculture Ministry complete their analysis and assessment of the damage caused by the use of white phosphorus, which rendered many fields unusable,” Hajj Hassan said. The minister accused Israel of using white phosphorus shells and cluster munitions in violation of international conventions and norms. The Agriculture Ministry has been looking into testimony provided by 40,000 agricultural workers with the help of specialized UN agencies. The use of white phosphorus as an incendiary weapon is prohibited under Protocol III to the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which regulates the use of weapons designed to set fire to or burn their target. 
WorldLebanese Foreign Ministry Condemns Israel’s Seizure of Syrian Part of Golan Heights11 December, 10:31 GMTA US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah came into effect on November 27, after months of fighting. Despite the truce, the Israeli armed forces continued to intrude into Lebanese airspace, striking selected targets in the south, conducting aerial reconnaissance over Beirut and major cities, and raiding border villages.
