First, I have to explain that while white phosphorus is an incendiary weapon that can rapidly ignite, is very hard to extinguish, and will burn people to death— it can also be used to create a fog or smokescreen to enhance military operations.

This is the national security use of phosphorus that President Trump’s E.O. on glyphosate (which uses phosphorus in its manufacture) employed to justify the national security implications of the E.O. and shieldit from being entirely a gift to Bayer.

According to NPR,

Human rights groups and The New York Times say they have documented Israel’s use of the chemical white phosphorus over civilian areas in Lebanon. It is a substance that can cause severe burns, respiratory issues and death.

The New York Times reported Saturday that Israel used white phosphorus in the Lebanese town of Nabatieh May 30 by verifying social media videos….

White phosphorus is not banned under international law, but it is illegal to use the chemical in and near populated areas since it can cause widespread harm. Israel has been accused by the international human rights community for decades of using the substance in a way that puts civilians in danger….

Countries can use the substance to create smoke screens, and the Israel Defense Forces say it’s for this purpose that it uses the substance in some of its artillery shells. White phosphorus can also be used to mark military targets for subsequent strikes.

But the Chemical Weapons Convention does prohibit such incendiary agents from being used in civilian areas, and that is what Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have accused Israel of doing….

Once on the ground, the substance sticks to skin and clothes. It can cause severe burns that penetrate through bones, producing particles that damage eyes and the upper respiratory tract. These effects can be deadly.

White phosphorus can be difficult to extinguish and can re-ignite when re-exposed to oxygen.

“It can still burn for several days or weeks later,” said Budour Hassan, Amnesty International’s researcher on Israel and Palestine. “Our investigators visited places in Gaza days after, where white phosphorus was air-dropped, and it was still there.”…

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/06/world/middleeast/white-phosphorous-israel-lebanon.html

The Israeli military has deployed white phosphorus, an incendiary substance that can be extremely harmful, over populated areas in Lebanon in its battle against Hezbollah, according to experts, aid groups and visual evidence collected by The New York Times.

Distinctive smoke trails from this type of munition were seen as recently as May 30 in Nabatieh, a city of roughly 40,000, in social media footage verified by The Times, which was filmed as Israeli forces captured Beaufort Castle, a landmark in the area.

Other verified footage showed that white phosphorus had been used in the vicinity of the coastal city of Tyre, as well as near three small towns — Qlayaa, Khiam and Yohmor — in the months since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group, began again in March….

Often deployed by militaries to create fires and smoke screens during combat, white phosphorus is not illegal in itself, but deploying it deliberately against civilians or in an area populated by civilians violates the international laws of war. Human rights advocates have raised concerns that civilians have been affected by the Israeli military’s use of it.

Israel denies using the substance in violation of those laws. It is not clear for what purpose the Israeli military used white phosphorus in these incidents.

The Times asked the Israeli military questions about its use of white phosphorus in Nabatieh, Qlayaa, Khiam and Tyre in four specific instances and provided the coordinates for those incidents. The Israeli military had no comment on those incidents. The Times also asked the military about its internal guidelines for the usage of white phosphorus.

“I.D.F. procedures require that such shells are not used in densely populated areas, subject to certain exceptions. This complies and goes beyond the requirements of international law,” it said in a statement….

Israel has also deployed white phosphorus in Gaza — in 2009, and in conflicts in Lebanon, including 1982 and 2006. In the year following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, the Israeli military used white phosphorus more than 200 times in Lebanon, according to Ahmad Beydoun, an independent researcher who built a visual database of its sightings in the country.

The Lebanese government has filed four letters since October 2023 raising concerns about Israel’s use of white phosphorus to the United Nations and the U.N. Security Council. One of the letters, dated July 3, 2024, cites government figures showing that more than 600 fires have broken out as a result of the use of white phosphorus in southern Lebanon.

So, that’s the story. All norms of decency and international law have been broken in the ongoing conflicts in the middle east, over at least 2 decades, it seems. At what point does enough become ENOUGH?!

IPAK-EDU is grateful to Meryl’s CHAOS letter (Critical Health Analysis and OpinionS) as this piece was originally published there and is included in this news feed with mutual agreement. Read More