What is white phosphorus, and why is Israel using it in Lebanon?

White phosphorus is a chemical substance that ignites when exposed to air, generating intense heat, toxic smoke and the potential for severe burns. The material can continue to smolder or re-ignite, which increases the danger it poses to people and property. Because of these effects, white phosphorus is widely considered an incendiary agent with serious humanitarian implications. According to reporting by Al Jazeera, Israel has used white phosphorus in southern Lebanon. The outlet says this use has affected civilians in the area and damaged farmland, though the excerpt does not provide further operational details or casualty figures. The report highlights civilian and agricultural harm as primary consequences of the material’s deployment in populated or cultivated areas. International law places restrictions on the use of incendiary weapons in populated areas. Such limits are intended to reduce civilian suffering and preserve nonmilitary infrastructure, including agricultural land; the Al Jazeera piece notes these legal constraints without detailing specific treaties or rulings in the excerpt provided. Al Jazeera’s coverage, by reporter Reem Takieddine, underscores both the physical dangers white phosphorus poses and the broader legal and humanitarian questions that arise when it is used in or near civilian populations and farmland.