Did Israel Use Uranium Bombs?

A British newspaper reported that during this summer's war in Lebanon, Israel used uranium-based munitions, including uranium-tipped bunker-buster bombs. According to the report, scientists found two soil samples thrown up by Israeli heavy or guided bombs which showed "elevated radiation signatures." "The weapon was either some novel small experimental nuclear fission device or other experimental weapon (eg, a thermobaric weapon) based on the high temperature of a uranium oxidation flash ...[or it] was a bunker-busting conventional uranium penetrator weapon employing enriched uranium rather than depleted uranium," Dr. Chris Busby, the British Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk, told The Independent.Asked by reporters if the IDF had been using uranium-based munitions in Lebanon this summer, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said: "Israel does not use any weaponry which is not authorized by international law or international conventions." Currently, international law does not cover modern uranium weapons because they had not yet been invented when the Geneva Convention rules were written. Army Radio reported that the IDF was investigating the matter.