Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Dan Halutz will appoint a major-general to investigate the use of cluster bombs during the Lebanon war, Israeli television Channel One reported yesterday.

Halutz is reported to order the army to use cluster bombs out of the populated areas in an extremely careful fashion.

However, cluster bombs were fired at populated areas, where is primarily for artillery and the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).

Meanwhile, Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Chief Military Prosecutor Avichai Mendelblit would also open an investigation into the matter to determine whether IDF officers blatantly disobeyed Halutz's orders and whether the case merits criminal proceedings.

According to an early testimony of an MLRS commander, Israel fired at least 1,800 cluster bombs containing over 1.2 million bomblets through the MLRS.

However, the estimate made by the United Nations is much higher than the testimony, saying that three million such bomblets were fired into Lebanon during the war.

Since the cease-fire went into effect on Aug. 14, at least 22 civilians, including many children, have been killed by the unexploded cluster bombs.