The last large-scale American use of cluster bombs was during the 2003 Iraq invasion, according to the Pentagon.

Children have been killed or maimed long after the munitions originally fell, making it difficult to know the true toll. In 2017, Yemen was the second deadliest country for cluster munitions after Syria, according to the U.N. Shawnee liquor store removes Russian liquors from shelves amidst Ukraine invasion The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has been criticized for its use of cluster bombs in the war with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels that has ravaged the southern Arabian country. That has left unexploded ordnance that threatens Lebanese civilians to this day. Israel has used cluster bombs in civilian areas in south Lebanon, including during the 1982 invasion that saw Israeli troops reach the capital Beirut.Дuring the monthlong 2006 war with Hezbollah, Human Rights Watch and the United Nations accused Israel of firing as many as 4 million cluster munitions into Lebanon. Syrian government troops have often used cluster munitions - supplied by Russia - against opposition strongholds during that countryвЂ™s civil war, frequently hitting civilian targets and infrastructure. The bombs have been deployed in many recent conflicts. Russia and Ukraine have not joined that convention. вЂњSo thatвЂ™s not necessarily related to the weapons, but the way the weapons are used.вЂќДЄ convention banning the use of cluster bombs has been joined by more than 120 countries who agreed not to use, produce, transfer or stockpile the weapons and to clear them after theyвЂ™ve been used. вЂњThe part of international law where this starts playing (a role), though is indiscriminate attacks targeting civilians,вЂќ Human Rights WatchвЂ™s associate arms director Mark Hiznay told The Associated Press. As in any strike, determining a war crime requires looking at whether the target was legitimate and if precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties. Use of cluster bombs itself does not violate international law, but using them against civilians can be a violation. Some formerly war-torn countries spend years trying to clear unexploded cluster bomblets. Return to normal life in those areas becomes hazardous, particularly in heavily populated areas. That leaves swaths of land dotted with bomblets that could explode. Cluster bombs can be delivered by planes, artillery and missiles, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.Д«eyond the initial harm caused by the munitions upon impact, bomblets have a high rate of failure to explode, up to 40% in some recent conflicts, according to the ICRC. Here is a closer look at the weapon and why its use sparks particular concern: WHAT IS A CLUSTER BOMB?Д¬luster bombs are weapons that open in the air, releasing submunitions, or вЂњbomblets,вЂќ that are dispersed over a large area, intended to wreak destruction on multiple targets at once.

Though many countries have joined a global convention limiting their use, cluster munitions are still used in conflict zones around the world. From Syria and Yemen to the Balkans, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia, unexploded ordnance from cluster bombs continues to kill and maim people years or even decades after the munitions were fired. Proponents of banning cluster bombs say they kill indiscriminately and endanger civilians long after their use. If confirmed, deployment of the weapon, especially in crowded civilian areas, would usher in new humanitarian concerns in the conflict, EuropeвЂ™s largest ground war in generations. TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Rights groups and observers say Russia is using cluster bombs in its invasion of Ukraine, a charge Moscow denies.

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