The UN human rights office stated Tuesday that Israeli strikes on homes and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon could 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 healthcare, food, and education severely disrupted.

Israeli warnings and forced displacement orders, coupled with threats of Gaza-level destruction, have deepened fear and worsened humanitarian conditions, Al-Kheetan said:

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.

Under international law, Article 48 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Additional Protocol 1 mandates parties to a conflict to always distinguish between civilians and combatants, and between “civilian objects and military objectives.” Parties must also direct their operations only toward military objectives. Israel’s deliberate 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.