Unexploded Israeli bombs and devices dropped during Israel’s war on Hezbollah have killed 21 and injured more than 100 Lebanese civilians.

The unexploded bombs, mostly sub munitions, landed indiscriminately in civilian areas, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Sunday.

The OCHA said it had recorded 608 areas where cluster munitions landed, “with more locations being identified every day”.

UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland in August said it was “completely immoral … that 90 per cent of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict when it was clear a UN resolution was about to bring about a ceasefire”.

Lebanese police said that 21 people had been killed by the bomblets, including 16 civilians and five army bomb-disposal experts, since the 34-day conflict ended on August 14.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the Israeli army fired at least 1.2 million rockets into Lebanon during the conflict.

The cluster bombs used by Israel contain hundreds of bomblets which are dispersed over a large area. Those that do not explode on impact turn into lethal anti-personnel mines.

Cluster munitions are controversial, as human-rights groups say they cause indiscriminate civilian casualties over large areas.

continue reading