Marwa, a woman in her thirties from Mount Lebanon, never expected her home’s glass façade to turn into a giant screen projecting scenes of Israeli shelling and airstrikes reaching the Lebanese capital. Living in the mountains facing Beirut at an altitude of 500 meters, her children have grown used to the constant bombardment as if it were part of daily life. But the most dangerous part is the smoke from the strikes seeping through their glass windows, trapping them between the fear of explosions and the hazards of toxic air.
She told Silat Wassel: “Every night, a few hours after the bombing subsides, the smoke rises, carrying the smell of chemicals. We can no longer tolerate the odor, which causes us shortness of breath. It’s gotten to the point where we can’t even open the windows anymore.”
She added: “I can’t even hang the laundry on the balcony—I’m afraid smoke particles will cling to the clothes. We don’t even know what it is yet, or whether it contains chemicals.”
Salah, a 40-year-old displaced man from southern Lebanon, shared his daily struggle with inhaling suffocating fumes:
“We see thick black smoke drifting through the air and entering everywhere. There’s no escape from breathing it. The coughing never stops—it’s like we’re living in the middle of a fire that never goes out. We’re fighting to stay alive—not only because of the destruction around us, but also because of the polluted air that’s become part of our daily existence. We live here between walls of despair and suffocation, as if this black smoke won’t disappear anytime soon.”
The Chemists Syndicate vs. the Ministry of Health — conflicting information
Amid Israel’s ongoing airstrikes on Lebanon, the Lebanese Chemists Syndicate issued a warning statement on October 10, 2024, confirming:
“The scale of destruction and the penetration of buildings and the ground to depths of tens of meters confirm that Israel has used internationally banned depleted uranium shells, which have immense penetration power.”
The Chemists Syndicate warned of the serious risk of contracting dangerous illnesses from inhaling dust produced by the bombings, urging civilians to avoid targeted areas within a radius of over two kilometers. For those who must approach such areas, it recommended wearing dust-protective clothing and chemical-grade masks.
In contrast, the Lebanese Ministry of Health issued a statement denying “any evidence so far of uranium use in Israeli strikes.”
The Lebanese Chemists Syndicate, in a warning statement issued on October 10, 2024
Human Rights Watch: Israel shelled 17 Lebanese towns with white phosphorus
While the Chemists Syndicate and the Ministry of Health remain at odds over whether there is proof of uranium use in Israeli strikes, Human Rights Watch confirmed in a report that “Israeli forces have used white phosphorus munitions in at least 17 towns in southern Lebanon since October 2023, including five towns where airburst munitions were unlawfully used over populated residential areas.”
Human Rights Watch confirmed in its report that “Israeli forces used white phosphorus munitions in at least 17 towns in southern Lebanon since October 2023, five of which saw airburst munitions unlawfully used over populated residential areas.”
The organization verified 47 photos and videos from southern Lebanon that indicate the use of white phosphorus munitions, and geolocated them to the border villages of Kfarkela, Meiss El Jabal, Al-Bustan, Markaba, and Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon.
White phosphorus contains toxic chemical compounds that can enter the human body through breathing or inhalation, causing respiratory system damage and organ failure. It also causes severe burns, often reaching the bone, and white phosphorus burns covering more than 10% of the human body are often fatal.
The Israeli enemy has used all internationally prohibited weapons in Lebanon.
To examine the types of weapons and shells used by the Israeli occupation army that caused multiple cases of suffocation following bombardments and airstrikes, Dr. Ali Hamieh, a writer and researcher in security and military affairs, told Silat Wassel that the Israeli enemy uses all internationally prohibited weapons and weapons of mass destruction—from its war on Gaza to its war on Lebanon—targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs, as well as the south and the Bekaa, with dozens of tons of internationally banned materials.
Hamieh pointed out: “The Israeli enemy uses cluster munitions and phosphorus shells, and it is also likely that it uses depleted uranium in GBU-type bombs and the MOAB, short for Massive Ordnance Air Blast, a large-yield bomb that explodes in the air.” He explained that most Hellfire missiles launched by Apache helicopters or drones contain varying percentages of depleted uranium, ranging from low to high depending on the missile type, noting that depleted uranium emits radiation only at very low levels. The security and military affairs researcher added that “the Israeli enemy uses large Mk-84 bombs containing chemical compounds such as P and E, as well as thermobaric explosives and highly flammable aluminum powder. He noted that the Mk-84 bombs have become smart weapons thanks to their internal guidance system (Guided Bomb Unit — GBU), making them capable of carrying out multiple missions.”
Hamieh: “The Israeli enemy uses cluster munitions and phosphorus shells, and it is also likely that it uses depleted uranium in GBU-type bombs — massive ordnance air blast munitions that explode in the air.”
He continues: “According to our knowledge, the Israeli enemy uses shells containing white phosphorus, a foul-smelling incendiary substance that causes suffocation, much like thermobarics. It also uses delay fuse shells, which contain detonators that explode after a delay rather than upon immediate impact, increasing their destructive effectiveness inside the target and making them more dangerous by creating the illusion that there is a weapons depot. The Israeli enemy also uses JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition), and when multiple bombs such as the GBU-37, GBU-28, Mk-84, and MOAB are launched together, they cause massive destruction and inflict maximum casualties, both through the explosion itself and through toxic and suffocating gases.”
The repercussions of the Israeli war on Lebanon will extend for several generations to come.
For his part, Brigadier General Akram Kamal Saryoui, an expert in military affairs and international law, told Sila Wasl that the consequences of the Israeli war on Lebanon pose a threat to human health and the environment for several generations to come, as war remnants remain for many years after the fighting ends — especially the internationally banned cluster munitions that Israel uses extensively, along with mines and deadly thermobaric shells. These are classified as toxic materials harmful to both the environment and humans, and they are difficult to dispose of, especially since infrastructure and waste management systems in general are destroyed during the war. This leads to the accumulation of pollutants over long periods, most of which seep into springs, rivers, and groundwater.
Saryoui says: “The Israeli aggression takes the lives of thousands of civilians, causes extensive destruction to villages, cities, and infrastructure, and creates severe pollution of water, soil, and air with toxic substances, as compounds resulting from explosives spread — such as TNT (trinitrotoluene), RDX residues known as ‘hexogen,’ white phosphorus, and other chemical and radioactive materials used in high-explosive shells.”
Saryoui: “The Israeli aggression creates severe pollution of water, soil, and air with toxic substances, as compounds resulting from explosives spread — such as TNT (trinitrotoluene), RDX residues known as ‘hexogen,’ white phosphorus, and other chemical and radioactive materials used in high-explosive shells.”
He continues: “The immediate and serious primary effect is the transfer of explosive vapors through the air, where inhaling them causes definite harm to human health — especially to the respiratory system — and also weakens the immune system and causes blood poisoning. Therefore, it is always advised to stay away from the explosion site even after it occurs, and to avoid inhaling these gases, as some are extremely dangerous and may cause chronic or even fatal diseases. It is preferable to cover the nose with a piece of cloth moistened with water until you move away from the area where the gases have spread.”
Brigadier General Akram Saryi confirms Israel’s use of depleted uranium.
The military affairs expert says: “It is known that artillery shells, tank shells, and some armor-piercing munitions contain depleted uranium to increase their hardness and penetration capacity — something Israel has used in Gaza and Lebanon. When these shells hit targets with force, the uranium material shatters, and the depleted uranium becomes radioactive uranium due to the impact, emitting alpha, beta, and gamma radiation in small amounts. These travel extremely fast, have no smell or color, and are therefore difficult to detect without using special detection devices.”
Regarding the danger of this radiation, he explains that although its level is low, it is very harmful when it enters the human body, whether through inhalation or absorption through the skin, because it disrupts metabolic processes, destroys cells, and turns them into cancerous cells. The body needs long periods to recover and eliminate its effects. He adds that if the amount of radiation entering the body does not exceed 400 rad per year, its impact remains limited and does not pose a life-threatening risk. However, if received all at once, it may cause immediate death.
Brigadier General Saryoui adds that the danger of explosive materials is not limited to direct damage. Often, the explosive charge inside shells does not fully detonate, leaving up to 5% unexploded. This residue turns into a soil contaminant, meaning it can seep into water sources, be absorbed by plants, and thus transform crops and fruits into a means of transferring these toxic substances into the human body when consumed.
He explains that when radiation exists in a certain place, its danger is not confined to that location. Its effects can spread to nearby areas and even distant ones — as happened after the Chernobyl reactor explosion, when radiation was detected in the meat of sheep in some European countries. This occurred because the animals had eaten grass contaminated with radiation that had traveled due to nuclear rain, after winds carried radioactive clouds far away from Ukraine.
Hazardous emissions resulting from shell explosions.
For her part, MP Dr. Najat Aoun Saliba, professor of chemistry at the American University of Beirut and an expert in air pollution, told Silat Wassel that shell explosions produce dangerous emissions, such as nitrogen dioxide, which forms from the reaction between nitrogen and oxygen in the air due to the force of the blast. She explained that this gas is the main cause of the thick smoke that leads to burning and irritation of the eyes, coughing, and even cases of suffocation, especially among people with respiratory conditions or shortness of breath.
Saliba explained that the rising smoke also contains extremely fine particles, invisible to the naked eye, known as “”. PM2. 5“…which are highly toxic, and when inhaled, penetrate deep into the respiratory system, causing serious health problems, including respiratory tract infections, lung diseases, and an increased risk of heart disease. ‘The war may end, but its harmful effects will last for years, and they are often difficult to address for more than one reason, the first being a lack of awareness and knowledge of these dangers, and the second being the insufficient attention given to removing the toxic residues of explosive materials and the pollution they cause to the environment,’ says Brigadier General Sariwi to ‘Silat Wassel.’”
Saliba: “The rising smoke also contains extremely fine particles, invisible to the naked eye, known as PM2.5, which are highly toxic. When inhaled, they penetrate deep into the respiratory system, causing serious health problems.”
She continues: “The munitions dropped on the city are saturated with heavy metals, giving them the ability to penetrate several floors. These tiny metals—such as lead, uranium, and other toxic substances—pose a major risk when they travel through the air with fine particles. Although there is a possibility that the occupation has used more lethal chemical agents, the National Council for Scientific Research, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Lebanese Army have not yet confirmed the use of depleted uranium in the shells. We are still awaiting an official report from the relevant authorities to confirm this.”
Saliba affirms that depleted uranium does not have the nuclear capability of enriched uranium, and the radiation it emits does not penetrate the body, but it can be inhaled. This necessitates precautions such as wearing masks. Saliba also warns against phosphorus shells that dissolve the skin, stressing the need to wear full-body clothing and closed shoes, especially for journalists in bombing areas. She also recommends wearing sunglasses or protective plastic goggles to protect the eyes.
If dust accumulates on cars, balconies, or any other place, she stresses not to remove it by blowing or sweeping, but by using water. Finally, Saliba advises that if people or journalists visit areas hit by phosphorus shells to check their homes, they should avoid entering houses in contaminated clothing. Clothes should be removed at the door and soaked in cold water and soap to prevent any health hazards.
Accordingly, if this is the extent of pollution caused by shelling, airstrikes, and the use of munitions and explosives containing chemical and radioactive materials, how can we imagine the situation given the facts and data confirming that Lebanon was already suffering from a worsening air pollution problem? The war has catastrophically worsened the situation, making the pre-existing air pollution crisis even more dangerous and complex. All efforts that had been made to try to mitigate the crisis have been wasted, and all hopes for solving the problem have vanished… Those who survive the bombing now face the risk of suffocation and developing respiratory and heart diseases!
Before the aggression… unprecedented rise in air pollution levels
Breathing clean air in Lebanon was almost impossible before the aggression due to pollution from the widespread use of generators during power outages that lasted more than 20 hours a day, vehicle emissions, industrial activities—especially cement production—open burning of waste and car tires, the use of chemical pesticides, and other pollution sources. Researchers from the American University of Beirut had previously warned of a 300% increase in toxic emissions (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and diesel particulates) in Lebanon compared to pre-electricity crisis levels.
According to the latest data published on Our World in Data, Lebanon’s per capita carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions were about 1.7 tons in 1970 and rose to about 4.4 tons per person in 2022, as shown in the following chart:
Source: Our World in Data
According to a report issued by the American University of Beirut in May 2024, Lebanon records the highest mortality rate related to air pollution in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Beirut ranks among the most polluted cities in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The report stated that the annual average concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in Lebanon reached 24.2 micrograms per cubic meter—142% higher than WHO guidelines. Air pollution costs Lebanon about 3% of its GDP, according to World Bank data, which economists consider a major drain adding further burden to Lebanon’s already severe economic crisis.
The National Strategy for Air Quality Management in Lebanon 2015–2030 indicated that the road transport sector accounts for about 93% of carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, 67% of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), and 52% of nitrogen oxides (NOx). In contrast, about 73% of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions, 62% of PM10 emissions, and 59% of PM2.5 emissions are attributed to power plants and industrial sources.
Wars do not only claim lives and cause destruction; they also create catastrophic, long-term environmental consequences that are difficult to live with peacefully. This brutal aggression will leave behind a heavy legacy of polluted air, making the dream of Lebanese people breathing clean air a distant one, especially amid the failure of relevant international organizations to stop this humanitarian and environmental disaster.
