I picked up the Pity the Nation book after reading about it in Migeul's blog, I started reading it last night. It is an eye witness report by Robert fisk of the civil war and the 1982 Israeli invasion. It started off as an intriguing read because I recognized many of the places that he talks about, I was born in Beirut.
To my shock or horror, I get to Chapter 9, pages 282-285 and they detail an eye witness account - by Terry Anderson, the AP reporter and hostage in lebanon for a number of years- of the death of three second cousins of mine during the 1982 Israeli invasion. I had heard of their death - I have not lived in Beirut since 1979- at the time, but it was horrific to read about how they died. He describes the death of Ahmad Baitam 3 year old from resporitory failure caused by phosphorus burns in his lungs. His two five-day old twin brothers and 4.5 year old brother died of similar wounds the day before. The doctor treating them said: “I had to take the babies and put them in buckets of water to put out the flames, when i took them half an hour later they were still burning. Even in the motuary, they smoldered for hours". When they took them the next morning for burial they again burst into flames.
Phosphorus artillary was first used in WWI, the phosphorus smoke lingers and causes internal burns that continue to smolder and are almost impossible to treat once it gets into the lungs.