- U.S. military intelligence sources have told WMR that
the artillery shell shown below being used by an Israel Defense Force member
in Lebanon, is a type of dual and multi-use weapon the neocons falsely
accused Saddam Hussein of possessing. Although the canister artillery shell
is marketed as an anti-land mine fuel-air bomb, its payload can also include
the chemicals used in thermobaric bombs, white phosphorous weapons, and
chemical weapons. Thermobaric bombs contain polymer-bonded explosives or
solid fuel-air explosives in their payloads.
-
 Thermobarics use a fuse munition unit
(FMU) such as that seen on the nose of the Israeli artillery shell. The
shell penetrates buildings, underground shelters, or tunnels, creating
such a blast pressure that all the oxygen is sucked out from the spaces
and the lungs of anyone who happens to be in proximity. Israel's use of
such "vacuum" weapons has been reported from across Lebanon.
-
- The artillery shell below, with its FMU penetrator, can
also be used to deliver chemical weapons, the use of which is also being
reported from southern Lebanon. In addition, it can deliver white phosphorous,
a substance that literally melts through skin but leaves clothing relatively
intact. In Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq, U.S. forces have used white
phosphorous on civilians, leaving grotesque corpses as a psychological
warfare reminder to the civilian population to surrender or evacuate an
area. The photo from Sidon of a burnt and badly disfigured young Lebanese
girl is a telltale sign of white phosphorous use by the Israelis. Similar
photos from Fallujah were shown to this editor by a top investigative reporter
for Italy's RAI television network.
-
- U.S. military intelligence experts believe the ease at
which the Israeli soldier is handling the artillery shell is an indication
that the payload contains light-weight gas and not a fuel-air mixture or
thermobaric bomb components. WMR continues to receive reports from Lebanon
of depleted uranium shells being used by the Israelis. The New York Times
today is reporting that the U.S. is stepping up its delivery of "precision-guided"
munitions to Israel (see article below on Bush administration pre-planning
for the Israeli invasions of Lebanon and Gaza).
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