U.S. probing Israeli use of bombs

WASHINGTON – The State Department said Friday that it has begun a preliminary investigation into allegations that Israel violated U.S. rules prohibiting the use of American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas during the recent war in Lebanon.

State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said the investigation began after human rights groups complained that cluster weapons had been found across Lebanon and were responsible for many civilian deaths.

Three types of U.S.-made cluster bombs are said to have been used by Israel. Israel also makes its own cluster munitions.

The State Department Office of Defense Trade Controls will verify whether U.S.-made cluster bombs were used during the conflict with Hezbollah and will examine whether the weapons – which scatter small bombs across wide areas – were used “inappropriately,” Gallegos said.

The agreements between Israel and the United States regarding the use of the weapons are secret. It is not illegal under international law to use such weapons against enemy combatants.

The U.N. Mine Action Coordination Center in southern Lebanon reported this week that it has found unexploded American-made cluster bombs in nearly 300 locations across the area.

Any such investigation is likely to be politically sensitive. The Bush administration has fully backed Israel in the war with Hezbollah, arguing that Israeli strikes were defensive. The administration also has urged Israel to limit civilian casualties.