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Cluster bombs wound seven people in Lebanon
Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published:
Wednesday September 13, 2006
Beirut- At least seven people were wounded in southern Lebanon in a 24-hour period by cluster bombs left over from the recent Israel-Hezbollah conflict, according to security sources on Wednesday. "At least seven people were wounded in the past 24 hours in various areas of southern Lebanon, especially in the central sector of southern Lebanon where thousands of those bombs are scattered," a Lebanese army source said.
Sixteen people have died and more than forty have been wounded in similar incidents in southern Lebanon since the end of the conflict on August 14.
Israel dropped more than 1.2 million cluster bombs into Lebanon during the 33-day war, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
An officer quoted by the liberal daily described his unit's use of the controversial bomblets during the war against Hezbollah guerrillas as "crazy and monstrous."
"We covered entire villages with cluster bombs," the newspaper quoted the commander as saying.
"The Israeli army also fired phosphorous shells which have destroyed most of the olive groves in southern Lebanon," the source said.
Human rights organizations have long advocated a ban on cluster bombs because "of their disproportionate and indiscriminate nature."
According to United Nations sources in southern Lebanon 40 per cent of the apple-sized bomblets fired into Lebanon "failed to explode on impact."
UN chief Kofi Annan has criticized Israel for failing to submit detailed maps of target sites to the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon who are working to clear away unexploded ordinance.
"We are faced by a catastrophe here and we need all the help that we can get," said the army source.
On Monday, a new group of demining experts from the United Arab Emirates will arrive in Lebanon to help deal with the problem.
The UAE experts have been involved in demining operations since the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000 .
© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur
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