IOF targeting kids by disguising bombs as footballs DURING world cup

Israel is disguising cluster bombs as footballs in southern Lebanon, in a clear attempt to target children during the World Cup.

An explosion happened today morning in the outskirts of my village Doweir. Investigation lead to the discovery of many unexploded ordanances and munitions disguised as colorful kids footballs.
Israelis never fail to open a new low for human standards, and to be remembered as the… pic.twitter.com/Sad81XJqFl

— Hadi Hoteit | هادي حطيط (@HadiHtt) June 18, 2026

So far in Lebanon, since March 2nd, the IOF has murdered at least 3,912 people and wounded 11,873.

🚨Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the official toll from the war increased by 28 deaths and 17 injuries over the past 24 hours, bringing the total since the war escalated on March 2 to 3,912 killed and 11,873 wounded.

The increase reflects a combination of newly reported… pic.twitter.com/vT4MlP4FPm

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 18, 2026

Now, Israel is employing even more evil tactics — ones which directly target and kill children.

I$rael is leaving bombs disguised as footballs in many towns and villages across southern Lebanon, as documented here in Douier. This isn’t the first time bombs have been disguised as children’s toys by the I$raeli’s. Locals are being advised to remain diligent and not touch or… https://t.co/uK9UQeuy65

— Steve Sweeney (@SweeneySteve) June 18, 2026

Israel — Repeating history

Israel has a history of hiding explosives in civilian objects.

In 2024, Israel hid explosives in thousands of pagers, which it sent to Lebanon. They all simultaneously exploded. The next day, there was a second attack involving weaponised walkie-talkies.

A wide network of people used the pagers, including administrators, medical workers, paramedics, media workers, and other civilians.

Over the years, Israel has littered more than a million cluster bombs across southern Lebanon. Since 2006, the left-behind explosives have killed hundreds of people.

Of course, this means that even after the resistance forced the IOF out of Lebanon, bombs kept going off and killing children.

Israel doesn’t just wage war in the present. It leaves war behind.

Cluster munitions. Unexploded ordnance. Mined fields. Cluster bombs designed to look like children’s toys & footballs. Not accidents, but deliberate design meant to lure & maim or kill innocent kids long after… https://t.co/gKFRSYRJ3A

— Hala Jaber (@HalaJaber) June 18, 2026

Back in 1997, L’Orient-Le Jour reported on Israel dropping bombs disguised as toys in Southern Lebanon.

This included one nine-year-old girl who found near her village a:

big apple-green plastic jeep, with six big black wheels.

It blew up in her right hand — And shredded it.

One child was left with severe burns after finding a booby-trapped flashlight, and another was killed after exclaiming, “I found a doll!” before being blown up.

When I was 6 years old, Israel dropped bombs disguised as toys on us in Lebanon.

New report reveals that Israel left behind bombs disguised as toys in Gaza.

Today, a cluster bomb shaped like a small football found in South Lebanon.

But keep talking about Israel not targeting… pic.twitter.com/DqTquNgjP2

— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) June 16, 2026

IOF soldiers have left little explosives disguised as footballs for Lebanese kids to discover when they return home.

For those unaware, ‘israelis’ have a long history of doing this to Arab children. They hid bombs inside childrens toys in the 1990s.

This is who they are. https://t.co/srJIKlJJDG

— Harry Pettit 🇱🇧🇵🇸 (@HarrygPettit) June 18, 2026

Hezbollah also reported similar objects being found, including:

a golden egg, fluorescent yellow cones, a Snoopy dog and a talking doll they said was set to explode when the cord was pulled.

At the time, a UN officer confirmed the IOF dropped the objects by helicopter.

Even a report by the UK Foreign Affairs Committee in 2000 warned about the dangers of unexploded bombs in southern Lebanon. Specifically, it mentioned the use of:

booby-trapped toys, allegedly dropped by the Israeli airforce near Lebanese villages adjacent to the so-called security zone.

Israel has used exactly the same tactics in Gaza.

As the Canary’s Alaa Shamali previously reported:

Field evidence and testimonies from doctors, paramedics, and eyewitnesses suggest this isn’t the random aftermath of indiscriminate warfare. It’s a systematic tactic — Israel designed it to sow fear and inflict the maximum number of casualties among children and civilians.

He continued:

The pain isn’t just from a small device exploding — it’s from the collapse of the moral order itself, when play becomes a trap, children become targets, and innocence becomes a weapon for sending bloody messages.

World Cup season

The fact that Israel is specifically using footballs laced with explosives during World Cup season is even more sickening.

Football bomb during World Cup season @FIFAWorldCup https://t.co/nXirYAY7UF

— Bedazzling Bearer of Bad News (@PixieOfDeath) June 18, 2026

What other purpose could this serve than luring in and then murdering, or seriously injuring, children?

Yet still, FIFA continues to be silent when it comes to Israel.

I guess that Israel targeting Palestinian and Lebanese children with explosives as footballs’ toys is too political for the @FIFAcom @FIFAWorldCup to notice and react against Israel. https://t.co/jeSo5rwjDE

— maya 🍉🇵🇸 (@mayasdreams) June 18, 2026

Because not upsetting the Zionists is far more important than taking a stand against child murderers.

Israel has been using the same illegal tactics for years — but what do we expect when the illegal settler state was founded on the graves of Palestinians? Israel has repeatedly shown the world exactly who and what it is — a genocidal terrorist colony — yet the majority of the world refuses to pay attention.

The most moral army in the world is dropping children’s toys laced with explosives? Go figure that one…

Feature image via Hadi Hoteit | هادي حطيط /X