(Adds Human Rights Watch, paragraphs 10-12) By Sue Pleming WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The United States said on Monday Israel may have violated an agreement with Washington in its use of U.S.-made cluster bombs during last July's war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. "There were likely violations," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. The State Department said it had delivered a classified preliminary report to the U.S. Congress on Monday indicating possible violations of a "use agreement" between the United States and Israel over the cluster bombs. McCormack declined to say how Israel violated U.S. rules in its use of U.S.-made rockets armed with cluster bombs in Lebanon, saying such information was classified. A probe was opened last year after reports that three types of American cluster bombs were found in southern Lebanon and were responsible for civilian deaths. Cluster bombs burst into bomblets and spread out near the ground. The United Nations has called for a freeze on the use of those bombs in or near populated areas. Israel has defended its right to use cluster bombs and says it only deploys them in accordance with international law. "We exercised our right of self-defense," said David Siegel, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington. In Jerusalem, Israel Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mark Regev said: "Israel takes the concerns raised by the U.S. very seriously. In our response, we have been as detailed, as forthcoming and transparent as possible." An Israeli Army spokesman said the Army had begun its own investigation two months ago on its use of cluster bombs and declined comment until after that was complete. CALLS FOR BAN The next move is up to Congress, which must decide whether action should be taken against Israel or if further information is needed, said McCormack. One possibility is that Israel could be fined, but that is unlikely because of the close ties between the two nations. The United States is the biggest military donor to Israel, providing more than $2 billion in military aid each year. The rights group Human Rights Watch said the results of the preliminary report should trigger an immediate cut-off of all U.S. cluster bomb sales to Israel and it urged the United States to outlaw such weapons because of the harm to civilians. "We've investigated cluster munitions in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, but we've never seen use of cluster munitions that was so extensive and dangerous to civilians," said Steve Goose, director of the group's arms division. He said the Reagan administration imposed a six-year ban on cluster weapons sales to Israel in 1982 after a Congressional investigation found that Israel had used them in populated areas during its 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Asked whether the United States would support a freeze on the use of cluster weapons, McCormack said he was not aware of any change in U.S. policy in this regard. Under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, if the U.S. government believes a foreign country violated agreements over how U.S-made weapons were used, the administration must draw up a report and send its classified findings to Congress. "This is not a final judgment ... but we do take our obligations under the law very seriously," he said. "We don't flinch from the facts," said McCormack. The United States and Italy are among nations trying to remove tens of thousands of unexploded cluster bomblets in southern Lebanon. The bombs, which are meant to explode near the ground but often do not, pose a huge danger to displaced civilians trying to return to villages after the 34-day war.(Additional reporting by Jerusalem Bureau)
