- Israeli forces have employed a new type of munition in Lebanon, the M825A1 155mm artillery shell, which disperses 3,000 tungsten cubes per strike.
- These tungsten cubes are designed to shred tissue and cause maximum internal damage, leading to numerous small entry points and severe injuries.
- Victims of these attacks often suffer from extensive injuries, including penetration of skin, bone, and organs, with hundreds of tiny fragments embedded in their muscles, liver, and lungs.
- The use of tungsten cubes in these munitions creates a unique and devastating pattern of injury, unlike traditional shrapnel from conventional explosions.
- Lebanese medical teams have documented over 120 cases of injuries consistent with the use of these specialized Israeli munitions in the past three weeks.
At dawn on a narrow street in Bint Jbeil, a border town in southern Lebanon, a soft thud echoed across rooftops before the air erupted in a metallic hiss. Moments later, first responders found a farmer, Mohammad Halawi, writhing on the ground, blood soaking through his shirt—not from a single wound, but from dozens of small entry points across his torso and limbs. In the hospital, X-rays revealed a horror: hundreds of tiny, cube-shaped fragments embedded deep in his muscles, liver, and lungs. Each measured just 3.5 millimeters across, dense and unyielding—tungsten cubes, engineered to shred tissue. This was not shrapnel from a conventional explosion. It was the calculated dispersal of a weapon designed to maximize internal damage, now being used with growing frequency against Lebanese civilians, just as it was in Gaza.
Weapon of Choice in Border Strikes
Over the past three weeks, Lebanese medical teams have documented more than 120 cases of injuries consistent with a specialized Israeli munition known as the M825A1 155mm artillery shell or its aerial equivalent—both outfitted with canisters of tungsten cubes. These weapons, when detonated mid-air above a target, release approximately 3,000 small cubes per unit, creating a cone of destruction up to 50 meters wide. Unlike traditional shrapnel, the cubes maintain velocity and shape, penetrating skin, bone, and organs with precision. Doctors at Nabih Berri Governmental Hospital in Tyre report that victims often suffer multiple organ perforations, severe internal bleeding, and long-term nerve damage. In several cases, survivors required dozens of surgeries simply to remove fragments. According to Human Rights Watch, the use of such weapons in populated areas violates international humanitarian law, which prohibits indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
From Gaza to the Bekaa Valley
The deployment of tungsten cube munitions is not new. Their first widespread use was documented during Israel’s 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, where similar injuries were recorded among Palestinian civilians. At the time, Israeli military sources acknowledged the munitions as a means of neutralizing combatants in open areas while minimizing risk to their own troops. However, subsequent investigations by Human Rights Watch revealed that the weapons were used in densely populated neighborhoods, where their wide dispersal radius made civilian casualties inevitable. Now, in Lebanon, the pattern repeats. Since September 2023, cross-border escalations between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified, and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have increasingly turned to airburst munitions in villages near the border—even as Hezbollah’s rocket launches have decreased. The result is a surge in civilian trauma, with over 80% of the injured being non-combatants, including women and children.
Who Controls the Arsenal
The decision to deploy these munitions lies with the IDF’s Artillery Corps and its Air Force, under the strategic oversight of Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Military analysts suggest that the use of tungsten cube weapons reflects a doctrine of deterrence through disproportionate force—a tactic intended to pressure Hezbollah by raising the cost of border skirmishes. Yet, interviews with former Israeli officers indicate deep internal debate over the ethics and legality of such weapons. One retired major, speaking anonymously, told Reuters that while the cubes are effective against exposed fighters, their use in civilian zones is ‘tactically sound but morally indefensible.’ Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has condemned the attacks as ‘war crimes,’ using them to rally support across Lebanon. The cycle of retaliation grows tighter, with each side citing the other’s actions as justification for escalation.
Consequences Beyond the Battlefield
The medical and psychological toll in southern Lebanon is mounting. Hospitals, already strained by years of economic collapse, are overwhelmed by complex trauma cases requiring specialized surgical teams and imaging technology to locate embedded cubes. Many patients face lifelong disabilities, unable to work or care for families. In Bint Jbeil and Marjayoun, entire communities live in fear of drones and jets, with schools and markets frequently abandoned during daylight hours. International aid groups warn that the use of such weapons risks normalizing a new standard of warfare—one where civilians bear the brunt of high-tech, area-effect munitions. Legal experts at the International Criminal Court have flagged the attacks for potential investigation under the Rome Statute, particularly Article 8, which prohibits weapons causing superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.
The Bigger Picture
This is not merely a regional flare-up; it is part of a broader shift in modern warfare, where precision-guided munitions coexist with indiscriminate area weapons. The use of tungsten cubes exemplifies a dangerous trend: the militarization of fragmentation technology under the guise of tactical efficiency. As conflicts grow more asymmetric, the line between combatant and civilian blurs—not by accident, but by design. The international community’s muted response risks setting a precedent that such weapons are acceptable in ‘gray zone’ conflicts. If left unchecked, this normalization could inspire similar tactics in other war zones, from Ukraine to Myanmar.
What comes next may hinge on diplomatic pressure and legal accountability. The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Lebanon has called for an immediate moratorium on the use of fragmentation munitions in populated areas. Yet without binding enforcement, the skies above southern Lebanon remain a testing ground for weapons that maim more than they deter. For Mohammad Halawi, recovery is measured not in weeks but in years—if at all. His story is no longer isolated. It is becoming the signature wound of a conflict where the smallest weapons leave the deepest scars.
Source: Al Jazeera