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What recent allegations have been made about Israel's use of white phosphorus?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. Israel has used white phosphorus over civilian areas in Lebanon, according to the New York Times. That's a chemical that can cause burns and other injuries. NPR's Stephen Basaja has more.
White phosphorus is not banned under international law and can be used to create smoke screens or mark military targets. But Badr Hassan with Amnesty International says it is illegal to use over civilian areas due to its indiscriminate harm.
The likelihood of it causing suffering, causing damage, causing long-term damage as well, both to the respiratory system and burns.
Human Rights Watch says Israel used white phosphorus over Lebanese homes in March, and The Times says the substance was used as recently as last week. NPR has not independently verified those claims, and Israel denies using the substance in a way that violates international law. Stephen Passaha, NPR News.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is in Normandy to mark the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports he used the occasion to tell Europe that it has to be responsible for its own security.
At the American cemetery on a bluff above Omaha Beach, Hegseth said it is a strategic necessity for Europe to take the lead in its own security. Speaking against a backdrop of more than 9,000 American tombs, Hegseth called on allies like France to seriously face this reality with concrete steps. The U.S.
has already pulled 5,000 troops out of Europe, and the Trump administration has made it clear that U.S. priorities lie elsewhere. The ceremony at the American cemetery at Colville-sur-Mer took place several hours before the international ceremony, which Hegseth skipped.
A Citizens Association of One Normandy Village protested Hegseth's visit, calling the appearance of, quote, a member of America's far right the wrong symbol on a day that celebrates allied unity. Eleanor Beardsley in Pierre News, Paris.
In the race for California governor, Democrat Javier Becerra, who was President Biden's health secretary, last night clinched one of two spots to run in the general election in November. If he wins, he would be the second Latino elected as governor in the state, but the first in more than 150 years.
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