Hailstorms set off cluster bombs in South Lebanon

A hailstorm in southern Lebanon has struck and detonated hundreds of unexploded Israeli cluster bombs scattered across the landscape.

After a long dry spell across Lebanon, hailstones as big as walnuts hit villages on Tuesday and struck undiscovered Israeli bomblets .

Dalya Farran, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Mine Action Co-ordination Center (MACC), confirmed the cluster bomb explosions struck by hailstones in villages near the town of Marjayoun, adding, "We don't know exactly how many [cluster bombs] the Israeli forces dropped, but we know they dropped a few million."



Cluster bombs have killed more than 30 people, mostly civilians, since the Israel-Hezbollah war ended in August 2006 according to MACC figures. More than 200 others have been injured, with some people losing limbs as a result.

The United Nations and human rights groups accuse Israel of dropping about four million cluster bomblets during the war. Up to one million failed to explode and now endanger civilians in the area.

Farran said international clearance teams, working with the Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have removed about 135,000 bombs already, but as many as one million could remain un-detonated.