UN sees potential Israeli 'war crimes' in Lebanon
The UN Human Rights Office stated March 17 that Israeli strikes on homes and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon may constitute war crimes. The statement came as Israel intensifies its military campaign on the territory of its northern neighbor amid the broader conflict spreading across the Middle East.
Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed hundreds, including children, and destroyed homes and healthcare facilities, while Hezbollah rockets have injured civilians in Israel. Mass displacement has forced families into overcrowded areas, with access to healthcare, food and education severely disrupted.
Israeli warnings and forced displacement orders, coupled with open threats of Gaza-level destruction, have deepened fears and worsened humanitarian conditions, Al-Kheetan said. He added:
In many instances, Israeli airstrikes have destroyed entire residential buildings in dense urban environments, with multiple members of the same family, including women and children, often killed together. Such attacks raise serious concerns under international humanitarian law. People displaced by the fighting and living in tents along Beirut's seafront have also been hit. And in recent days, at least 16 medical staff have been killed.
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health confirmed that since March 2, Lebanon has recorded 912 deaths, including 111 children, and 2,221 injured in attacks.
Article 48 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Additional Protocol 1 mandates that parties to a conflict must distinguish between civilians and combatants, and between "civilian objects and military objectives." Parties must direct their operations only toward military objectives. Israel's apparent targeting of civilians and civilian objects in Lebanon potentially constitute war crimes, Al-Kheetan found.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has called for an immediate halt to the fighting and accountability for all violations. He also urged the international community to increase support for Lebanon's humanitarian response.
From JURIST, March 17. Used with permission.
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