UN says it found no evidence of uranium-based munitions in Lebanon

[bemildred]

NAIROBI (AFP) - UN experts have found no evidence to support a press report that
Israel used depleted uranium (DU) munitions during the July-August conflict in Lebanon, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has said.

The samples taken by the UNEP scientists show no evidence of penetrators or metal made of DU or other radioactive material," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said in a statement Tuesday.

"In addition, no DU shrapnel, or other radioactive residue was found. The analysis of all smear samples taken shows no DU, nor enriched uranium nor higher than natural uranium content in the samples."

In October, the British daily The Independent said samples of soil taken from two bomb craters in Lebanon showed high radiation levels, suggesting that uranium-based munitions had been used.

Yahoo

[TheWraith]

1. Well, duh.

Depleted uranium is only used in cannon shells and other armor-piercing projectiles.

[bemildred]

2. Seemed obvious to me, but there was quite a fuss about it. nt

[oblivious]

9. Like these?

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/FrameSet.aspx?s=ImagesSearchState%7c0%7c0%7c-1%7c28%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c1%7c%7c%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c7%7c%7carmor-piercing+ammunition%7c2233391784121335%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0&p=7&tag=4
Click on the first two

Caption:
LEBANESE BORDER, ISRAEL - JULY 14: An Israeli army soldier carries armor-piercing ammunition as he loads his tank ahead of possible action against Hezbollah militants July 14, 2006 on Israel's northern border with Lebanon. Israel has stepped up its action against Hezbollah targets in an effort to drive the Islamic militants from the border and to force the return of two soldiers captured by the group in a cross-border attack two days ago on July 12. (Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images)

Caption:
LEBANESE BORDER, ISRAEL - JULY 14: Israeli army tank crew load their Merkeva tanks with armor-piercing ammunition as they prepare for possible action against Hezbollah militants July 14, 2006 on Israel's northern border with Lebanon. Israel has stepped up its action against Hezbollah targets in an effort to drive the Islamic militants from the border and to force the return of two soldiers captured by the group in a cross-border attack two days ago on July 12. (Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images)

DU tank shells
http://www.dubbs.info/graphical.htm

[bemildred]

3. UN team confirms IDF use of phosphorous bombs during war

A UN team carrying out an environmental assessment of Lebanon after this summer's Israel-Hezbollah war confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces used artillery containing white phosphorous in its attacks, but found no evidence of depleted uranium, a UN official said Tuesday.

Achim Steiner, UN undersecretary-general and executive director of the UN
Environment Program, said samples taken by scientists confirmed "the use of white phosphorous-containing artillery and mortar ammunition" by the IDF during the conflict.

---

The Geneva Conventions ban using white phosphorous against civilians or
civilian areas, and Israel has said the weapons were used solely against military targets.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785041.html

[Igel]

4. Nice to know the IDF was telling the truth.

On both counts.

[bemildred]

5. I was glad to hear about the DU.

I expect the argument about WP will continue.

[Igel]

6. Truly. n/t

[oblivious]

7. Do you really believe this means DU bunker busters weren't used?

We're given almost no information here. There's no way anyone can conclude from this interim report that GBU-28 bunker busters were not used.

1. Where were the 32 sites?

2. Did they include the site where bunker busters were used?

3. Did they include the sites where Green Audit found contamination -- in Khiam and Tair e(page 3)?
http://www.llrc.org/du/subtopic/lebanrept.pdf

4. or At-Tiri, a site mentioned inFisk's article?

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1935945.ece

5. Does anyone really believe that GBU-28s weren't used when the US made an emergency air shipment of them in late July?

"...In Lebanon, the Israeli Air Force used so many bombs that the US had to send emergency supplies of GBU-28 “bunker busters” "
http://www.cornellsun.com/comment/reply/19463

PM backs Israel bomb flights
Last updated at 13:08pm on 28th July 2006

Tony Blair faces a public backlash after it emerged that he has given the go-ahead for Britain to be used as a staging post for the supply of bunkerbusting bombs to Israel.

Whitehall sources confirmed that two more U.S. cargo planes carrying laserguided weapons will be given permission to land on British soil over the next couple of weeks.

The embarrassing U-turn comes only hours after Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett savaged the U.S. on learning that two A310 cargo planes loaded with GBU28 bombs landed at Prestwick airport in Glasgow last weekend.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=397964&in_page_id=1770

...In Lebanon, the Israeli Air Force used so many bombs that the US had to send emergency supplies of GBU-28 “bunker busters”
http://www.cornellsun.com/comment/reply/19463

British defence sources have alleged that the Airbus jets stopped to refuel at Glasgow’s Prestwick airport last weekend during a flight to transport GBU28 laser-guided bombs to Israel.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2288384.html

Published on Saturday, July 22, 2006 by the New York Times
U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis
by David S. Cloud and Helene Cooper

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday.

The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said. Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah.

The munitions that the United States is sending to Israel are part of a multimillion-dollar arms sale package approved last year that Israel is able to draw on as needed, the officials said. But Israel’s request for expedited delivery of the satellite and laser-guided bombs was described as unusual by some military officers, and as an indication that Israel still had a long list of targets in Lebanon to strike.

... An announcement in 2005 that Israel was eligible to buy the “bunker buster” weapons described the GBU-28 as “a special weapon that was developed for penetrating hardened command centers located deep underground.” The document added, “The Israeli Air Force will use these GBU-28’s on their F-15 aircraft.”
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0722-02.htm

[bemildred]

8. It's not a matter of faith.

I'm sure if they were, irrefutable evidence will be produced. I think if DU was used, that's a bad thing, and if it was not, that's a good thing. I think the bombing of Lebanon was both wrong (bad) and stupid (bad). I think Hizbullah played the IDF like a flute, for the most part. I keep an eye on these things looking for clues to see whether I am right or wrong about that.

I'm not going to go dig up the links, but what I think I know is this:

1.) There were a number of stories a little while back about elevated radiation levels in certain bombing sites in Lebanon. There was considerable discussion about this at various sites on the net.

2.) There were a number of stories about samples being taken at these sites and tested by the UN.

3.) We now have a story that says those tests came up negative.

That's a good thing, for Israelis and for the Lebanese. DU is nasty stuff. Since there are lots of folks that would like to pin the DU on the IDF, I'm taking this, for now, as indicative, but I don't expect the story to go away unless it really is the case that DU was not used.