Unexploded Israeli bomblets littering southern Lebanon pose the greatest threat to children, the UN children's agency said on Monday, as public schools reopened after the devastating summer war with Hizbullah.
"Unexploded ordnances, including cluster bombs, remain the single greatest physical threat to children's well being in affected areas of Lebanon," a UNICEF statement said.
The bomblets "still pose a major threat to children near their homes, in fields and other areas where they travel, play or farm with their parents," it said.
Fifteen civilians, including several children, have been killed by Israeli bombs in southern Lebanon since the Israeli war on the Lebanese Hizbullah ended with a UN-brokered cease-fire on August 14.
Explosions of Israeli cluster munitions in southern Lebanon -- mainly bomblets as small as a torch battery -- have also maimed more than 90 civilians, according to an AFP count based on UN figures.
The Lebanese army says that there are "possibly around one million" unexploded Israeli bomblets scattered around the south.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the Israeli army fired at least 1.2 million bomblets into Lebanon during the 34-day conflict.
UNICEF has launched a public awareness campaign focused on teaching children not to pick up unfamiliar objects. Many of the bomblets look like harmless objects or even toys.