Khiam

'Khiam' (Arabic الخيام; sometimes spelled Khiyam) is a town located in South Lebanon Governorate, near the city of Nabatieh. It is located in Southern Lebanon, 750 meters above sea level, 120 km away from Beirut and roughly four kilometers from the Palestinian border.

The town was the scene of a major confrontation between the Israeli Army and Hezbollah fighters during the 2006 Israeli-Lebanese conflict. It is most known for the prison Khiam Detention Center which was operated by the South Lebanon Army and the Israelis during the Israeli occupation of Lebanon, and as the site of United Nations post which was bombed by the Israeli Army during the 2006 conflict.

Uranium contamination as a result of the 2006 Lebanon War

Soil and water samples were collected from Khiam in the aftermath of the 2006 Lebanon War. Of 15 samples, two contained high levels of undepleted uranium and four samples contained low-enriched uranium.[1] In addition, 15 urine samples from Beirut were tested; two were found to contain low-enriched uranium and one a high level of undepleted uranium.[2]

References

  1. ^ C. Busby and D. Williams, 2006, Evidence of Enriched Uranium in Guided Weapons Employed by the Israeli Military in Lebanon in July 2006: Preliminary Note, research note 6/2006, Green Audit, at <www.llrc.org/du/subtopic/lebanrept. pdf>; C. Busby and D. Williams, 2006, Further Evidence of Enriched Uranium in Guided Weapons Employed by the Israeli Military in Lebanon in July 2006: Ambulance Air Filter Analysis, research note 7/2006, Green Audit, at <www. llrc.org/du/subtopic/ambulance.pdf>.
  2. ^ M.A. Kobeissi, "A Study on the Presence of Depleted and Enriched Uranium Used by Israeli Bombardments on Lebanon during the July\August Conflict 2006", presentation to the Fondazione Internazionale Lelio e Lisli Basso Issoco, 28 March 2008, at <www.internazionaleleliobasso.it/public/contributi/Kobeissi_Italy_Lecture2008.pdf>

External links