I just got around to a Human Rights Watch report on the use of cluster munitions during the Israel-Lebanon war. The map to the right appears in the report. Each red dot represents a cluster munition strike.
Throughout the war, Israeli artillery used relatively few cluster munitions. However, in the conflict’s final 72 hours Israel launched more than 800 cluster munition strikes into Southern Lebanon, around 90% of the total made during the conflict. I looked around for a good explanation for this dramatic change in strategy, but did not have much luck. I am not a military expert and so will let readers come to their own conclusions.
One parting fact, Human Rights Watch and others believe 25% of the Israeli submunitions (the little bombs dropped from the big bombs) malfunctioned, not exploding on impact, and litter the Lebanese countryside. The end result is that much of Southern Lebanon has been turned into ‘de facto landmine fields’, unusable for farming or herding.
Christopher R. Albon is a political science Ph.D. specializing in armed conflict, public health, human security, and health diplomacy.
Want more? Subscribe to Conflict Health through RSS or email.
Comments on this entry are closed.