File: Funeral of the 7 healthcare workers killed in an airstrike using American bombs “MPR 500” that is made by Boeing, AP March 28, 2024
Human rights experts say the attack was a violation of international law, and that the US supplying of weapons defies 1997 Leahy law
Israel used a US weapon in a March airstrike which killed seven healthcare workers in southern Lebanon, according to a Guardian analysis of shrapnel found at the site of the attack, which was described by Human Rights Watch as a violation of international law.
Seven volunteer paramedics, aged between 18 and 25, were killed in the 27 March attack on an ambulance center belonging to the Lebanese Succor Association in the town of al-Habariyeh in south Lebanon on 27 March.
The Guardian examined the remnants of a 500lb Israeli MPR bomb and a US-manufactured Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) recovered by first responders from the scene of the attack. Pictures of the shrapnel sent by the Guardian were further verified by Human Rights Watch and an independent arms expert.
JDAMs are guidance kits produced by US aerospace company Boeing which attach to 500-2,000lb “dumb bombs” and convert them into GPS-guided precision missiles. They have been key to Israel’s war effort in Gaza and Lebanon, and have been one of the most requested munitions from the US.
Shrapnel recovered from the al-Habariyeh attack included a fragment with writing identifying it as a “bomb MPR 500”, as well as the parts of a JDAM that clip the bomb to the guidance system and remnants of its motor.
Human Rights Watch said that its own investigation concluded that the strike on the healthcare center was unlawful and should have implications for US military assistance to Israel.
“Israel’s assurances that it is using US weapons lawfully are not credible. As Israel’s conduct in Gaza and Lebanon continues to violate international law, the Biden administration should immediately suspend arms sales to Israel,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher for Human Rights Watch.
Five days after the attack on healthcare workers in Lebanon, Israel killed another seven aid workers employed by the World Central Kitchen in Gaza. This attack led to global outrage and was called a “serious mistake” by Israel.
The revelation of Israel’s use of US weaponry in an unlawful attack comes as the US Secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is set to deliver a report to Congress on 8 May on whether he finds credible Israel’s assurances that its use of US weapons do not violate US or international Law.
The Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen said that the attack on al-Habariyeh should be reflected in Blinken’s report to Congress.
“These reports are deeply concerning and must be fully investigated by the Biden administration, and their findings should certainly be included in the NSM-20 report that is due to be submitted to the Congress on May 8,” Van Hollen said in an email.
Public pressure is mounting to limit or stop US weapons transfers to Israel as more than 34,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children have been killed by Israel’s military operation in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack which killed 1,1139 Israelis.
THE GUARDIAN
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