Pentagon Says Not Conducting Formal Review of Israel’s Use of White Phosphorous Shells

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Department of Defense (DoD) is not conducting a formal review of the Amnesty International report about Israel’s use of white phosphorous munitions in the conflict in Gaza, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said on Wednesday.

"While DoD is not conducting a formal review, the Civilian Harm Mitigation Response team will consider the report along with other publicly available information related to civilian harm as they carry out their responsibility to advise senior DoD leaders. We have no further specifics to offer about the report at this time," Ryder said in a statement.

Earlier on Wednesday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that the United States is looking into reports, confirmed by the Washington Post and two human rights groups, that Israel attacked southern Lebanon with US-made white phosphorus shells.

On Monday, the Washington Post reported that Israeli forces fired white phosphorus munitions manufactured in the US during an attack on the southern Lebanese village of Dheira on October 16, citing its own analysis and the investigations of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.