Human Rights Watch Says Israel Used White Phosphorus in Gaza, Lebanon

Smoke rises after Israeli shelling in the village of Odaisseh near the border with Israel in south Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (AP)

16:37-13 October 2023 AD ـ 30 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1445 AH

Smoke rises after Israeli shelling in the village of Odaisseh near the border with Israel in south Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (AP)

Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, saying the use of such weapons puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injury.

In an apparent rebuttal, the Israeli military said in a statement: "The current accusation made against the IDF (Israel Defense Force) regarding the use of white phosphorus in Gaza is unequivocally false.

"The IDF has not deployed the use of such munitions," it added. It was not immediately clear whether the latter statement also applied to Lebanon.

Israel has been bombarding Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas rampage in southern Israeli towns that killed at least 1,300 people this week. At least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed. Israel has also traded barbs with Lebanon's Hezbollah group.

Human Rights Watch said it verified videos taken in Lebanon on Oct. 10 and Gaza on Oct. 11 showing "multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border".

It provided links to two videos posted on social media that it said show "155mm white phosphorus artillery projectiles being used, apparently as smokescreens, marking, or signaling". Both show scenes near the Israel-Lebanon border, it said.

The group did not provide links to videos showing their alleged use in Gaza. Palestinian TV channels have broadcast video in recent days showing thin plumes of white smoke lining the sky over Gaza that they say was caused by such munitions.

Reuters could not independently verify the rights group's accounts.

Israel's military in 2013 said it was phasing out white phosphorus smokescreen munitions used during its 2008-2009 offensive in Gaza, which drew war crimes allegations from various rights groups.

The military at the time did not say whether it would also review use of weaponized white phosphorus, which is designed to incinerate enemy positions.

White phosphorus munitions can legally be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings.

Because it has legal uses, white phosphorus is not banned as a chemical weapon under international conventions, but it can cause serious burns and start fires.

White phosphorus is considered an incendiary weapon under Protocol III of the Convention on the Prohibition of Use of Certain Conventional Weapons. The protocol prohibits using incendiary weapons against military targets located among civilians, although Israel has not signed it and is not bound by it.

Meeting between al-Zaidi, Trump Raises Questions in Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US President Donald Trump in New York on September 23, 2026. (Iraqi government)

Baghdad: Hamza Mustafa

00:45-25 September 2026 AD ـ 14 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Baghdad: Hamza Mustafa

00:45-25 September 2026 AD ـ 14 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Meeting between al-Zaidi, Trump Raises Questions in Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US President Donald Trump in New York on September 23, 2026. (Iraqi government)

A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in New York has raised questions due to the complete absence of the Iraqi delegation, coming just one day after Baghdad’s announcement that it would complete the plan to impose state monopoly over arms in June 2027.

The plan was supposed to be complete by the end of September, but it was postponed to next year.

A photograph released by the Iraqi government's media office on Wednesday showed al-Zaidi alone during the meeting, which was attended by Trump alongside senior US administration officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Al-Zaidi's office said that he discussed with Trump efforts by Iraq and the US to boost regional and international security and stability.

The government offered no explanation about the absence of the Iraqi delegation, which included the ministers of foreign affairs, finance, and electricity, and other officials.

Iraqi observers said al-Zaidi attended the meeting alone due to American suspicions that the discussions may be leaked to other delegation members, who are members of the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework coalition.

An Iraqi politician close to the State Administration coalition said the way the meeting was held “reflects American unease, especially by Trump, over the stalled process to impose state monopoly over weapons.”

According to official statements, September 30 will not mark the completion of the arms control process, but it will instead serve as the launching point for a new phase extending until June 2027.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York. (Iraqi government)

Al-Zaidi has evidently managed to convince the Americans to grant an additional grace period for the arms control plan, particularly after the new deadline was backed by US envoy to Iraq Tom Barrack.

Independent Iraqi politician Salah al-Arbawi said it remains to be seen whether the timetable that will be announced at the end of the month will tip the balance in favor of any political parties in the dispute over the factions’ weapons.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said the political parties must handle the factions’ weapons “rationally and calmly.”

He noted that al-Zaidi has managed to restore his control over the plan after it encountered obstacles in recent weeks.

Experts believe that recent discussions on the amendment of the arms control plan could turn into an opportunity to improve Iraqi-American relations.

Researcher Abbas Abboud said that the Iraqi-American relationship is being “restructured” by Barrack.

Baghdad’s relations with Washington’s allies in the region hinge on “decoupling Iraq from Iran”, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had issued a direct warning to Baghdad to "disarm the militias to avoid the balkanization of Iraq."

Rubio underlined US support for al-Zaidi's government in its efforts to consolidate state authority, urging the need to dismantle armed factions.

Arab World

Lebanon PM Tells Iran President Country Cannot Be Arena for Regional Wars

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. (NNA)

23:37-24 September 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Lebanon PM Tells Iran President Country Cannot Be Arena for Regional Wars

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. (NNA)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday that his country did not want to be an arena for regional wars, after Tehran-backed Hezbollah drew it into the Middle East conflict.

Lebanon has repeatedly accused Iran of interfering in its affairs, especially since the start of the latest war, saying that Tehran was using it as a "bargaining chip" in talks with the United States.

Salam's office said in a statement that he met with Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Salam "stressed that Lebanon has paid a heavy price in terms of its security, stability and economy, and that it does not want to become an arena for regional conflicts or a venue for the exchange of messages between others", it said.

Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the broader Middle East war, which began with Israeli-US strikes on Iran, by attacking Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.

Israel responded with major airstrikes and a ground invasion that killed more than 4,300 people.

The war followed a 2023-2024 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which started when the group attacked Israel in support of its ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Violence declined following a June framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel and a wider US-Iran deal, but Israel has continued to carry out attacks on its northern neighbor.

Salam said his country looked forward "to turning a new page" in its ties with Iran.

He called for "building a sound state-to-state relationship based on mutual respect for each country's sovereignty and independence, non-interference in each other's affairs and shared interests".

Salam said the priority was for "Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory and cease its attacks, and for Lebanon to move forward with extending the authority of the Lebanese state over all of its territory".

He said Lebanon needed to ensure "that weapons are held exclusively by the state", in a jab at Hezbollah, which has so far refused to lay down its arms.

In an interview with AFP last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said bilateral relations "must be based on mutual respect and non-interference".

Arab World

US to Hand Over Center at Baghdad Airport, Says Iraqi FM

A man walks past a billboard displaying the Iraqi flag in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square on September 22, 2026. (AFP)

23:22-24 September 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

US to Hand Over Center at Baghdad Airport, Says Iraqi FM

A man walks past a billboard displaying the Iraqi flag in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square on September 22, 2026. (AFP)

The United States will transfer to Iraq a diplomatic and logistics hub at Baghdad airport that was repeatedly targeted by Iran-backed groups during the Middle East war, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

It said an agreement was signed with the US charge d'affaires Steven Fagin "to hand over the diplomatic support center affiliated with the US embassy at Baghdad International Airport to the Iraqi government".

The move, it added, was part of efforts to end the US-led coalition's military presence in Iraq, with the remaining troops set to complete their exit by September 30.

For years, Iran-backed armed groups that have long called for the withdrawal of foreign troops have targeted US facilities and coalition forces in Iraq.

During the Middle East war, those groups targeted US sites more than 600 times, including the Baghdad airport facility.

An Iraqi security official and a diplomatic source told AFP earlier this month that US troops have already evacuated the site.

Baghdad and Washington agreed in 2024 to end the coalition's mission against the ISIS group in Iraq.

Coalition forces are now only present at Erbil airport after having withdrawn from other bases.

The coalition's presence, especially after the defeat of ISIS, has been a persistent point of friction between Iraqi authorities and Tehran-backed factions in the country.

Since taking office this year, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has pledged to reinforce the state's monopoly on arms and ensure that armed factions hand over their arms to the state.

Authorities say that ending the coalition's mission removes a key justification used by those groups to keep their weapons.

Human Rights Watch Says Israel Used White Phosphorus in Gaza, Lebanon

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