Lebanese premier accuses Israel of damaging agricultural land, forests through bombings, phosphorus weapons

ANKARA (AA) – Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has blamed Israel for the country’s climate crisis, saying the Israeli army’s aggressive use of bombings, particularly phosphorus weapons, has caused irreparable damage to more than 5,000 square meters of agricultural land and forests.

“The serious environmental deterioration in Lebanon is one of the effects of the Israeli aggression underway,” Mikati said at the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

“The Israeli use of indiscriminate weapons, such as white phosphorus weapons, causes the irreparable damage of more than 5,000 square meters of agricultural land and forests, which is destroying the livelihoods and revenue sources of our people,” he said.

Amnesty International said on October 31 that the Israeli army fired artillery shells containing white phosphorus, an incendiary weapon, in military operations along Lebanon’s southern border between October 10 and October 16.

Mikati stressed the need “to recognize the disastrous consequences of war on the environment.”

The prime minister also emphasized the need “to tackle the growing climatic challenges by rebuilding sustainable and green economies.”

He called on “all to go beyond our differences, and to work for the benefit of all, to ensure a better world for future generations.”

The conference will run until December 12.