Report says Israel likely misused cluster bombs

WASHINGTON – Israel probably misused American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas of Lebanon during the war against Hezbollah last summer, the State Department said Monday.

Department officials sent a preliminary report to Congress on Monday. By law, lawmakers must determine whether further State Department investigation is warranted.

The report represents an embarrassment to the United States and Israel, one of its closest allies. During last summer’s war, the U.S. was seen as letting Israel continue attacks inside Lebanon long after other countries had demanded a halt.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack would not provide details of the report, which was classified. But he told reporters the department had made a preliminary finding “that there may – likely could have been some violations” of the agreement by which Israel purchased the weapons from the U.S. When Israel purchases cluster bombs and other lethal equipment from the United States, it must agree in writing to restrictions on their use.

McCormack declined to speculate on what action may be taken against Israel if a violation is confirmed.

The U.N. said last summer that unexploded cluster bombs – anti-personnel weapons that spray bomblets over a wide area – litter homes, gardens and highways in south Lebanon.

In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said, “Israel takes the concerns raised by the U.S. extremely seriously.”

The U.N. Mine Action Coordination Center has said it is not illegal to use the cluster bombs against soldiers or enemy fighters, but the Geneva Conventions bar their use in civilian areas.