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Lebanon

Lebanon: Using internationally prohibited weapons, Israel escalates its crimes against civilians

Beirut - Israel is escalating its crimes against civilians and protected objects in Lebanon by using internationally prohibited weapons and highly-destructive bombs for the fourth consecutive week since the start of its large-scale assault.

The Israeli army began a military offensive on southern Lebanese areas more than a year ago, but has intensified its attacks on homes, civilian objects, and civilian infrastructure in the past month. It has demolished houses and increased its use of internationally banned white phosphorus bombs.

Israeli forces destroyed houses in the town of Mays al-Jabal’s Al-Tarash neighbourhood on Sunday 20 October, the same day it targeted homes in Aita al-Shaab with several airstrikes and attacked Kfar Hamam with phosphorus bombs, setting fire to forested areas near civilian homes.

That same day, the Israeli army also renewed its aggression on the southern suburbs of Beirut, launching 11 airstrikes on various parts of the suburbs up until midnight, targeting the vicinity of Bahman Hospital and Al-Hassanain Mosque. There are suspicions that Israel used internationally banned depleted uranium in its strikes on the suburbs, which resulted in the collapse of a civilian building in the Shiyah area.

This assault came after the Israeli army announced that it would carry out strikes against the infrastructure of Al-Qard Al-Hassan Foundation, which the Israeli army claims is a financial institution affiliated with Hezbollah. The foundation aims to provide interest-free “good loans”, focusing on supporting impoverished people and financing social and productive needs. Israeli warnings followed, telling civilians to evacuate several buildings in southern Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and Baalbek-Hermel.

Israeli direct contacts with several residents in Beirut and other areas, causing panic and leading many to evacuate their homes and flee into the streets.

Israel’s destruction of entire neighbourhoods and civilian objects is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the principles of distinction and proportionality. The principle of distinction requires differentiating between military targets and civilian objects when conducting attacks, while indiscriminate targeting and failure to distinguish between civilians and combatants is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. The proportionality principle prohibits attacks that may cause excessive harm to civilian lives or civilian property. The use of excessive force without consideration of these principles is classified as a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Israeli military attacks on civilian objects show a clear pattern of behaviour, executed in accordance with state policy as outlined in Article 7 of the ICC Statute. This has caused great suffering and severe physical and psychological damage, making these attacks crimes against humanity, as defined in Article 7(1)(k) of the Statute, as well.

The Israeli army’s violations of international law, especially international humanitarian law, have extended beyond civilians, paramedics, and aid workers to include United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese army, which is not engaged in the fighting or hostilities.

The Lebanese army announced that three of its members were killed at 3:20 p.m. last Sunday (20 October), after an Israeli military strike directly targeted their vehicle on the Ain Ebel-Hanin road. Additionally, UNIFIL stated on Sunday night that an Israeli military bulldozer deliberately demolished an observation tower and fence at a UN position in Marwahin, southern Lebanon. The statement indicated that the Israeli army had repeatedly requested that UNIFIL vacate its positions along the Blue Line, and intentionally damaged its assets. However, UNIFIL peacekeepers remain in their positions.

These repeated Israeli attacks on peacekeepers, which have injured at least five members, constitute a violation of the 1994 United Nations Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.

The destruction of all homes in southern towns, along with the repeated targeting of UNIFIL, cements Israel’s scorched-earth policy, especially as Israeli officials repeatedly discuss imposing a new reality on the border by creating a depopulated “buffer zone” and establishing settlements in southern Lebanon. Euro-Med Monitor stresses that these practices constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law.

The Israeli army threatened on Monday 21 October to bomb the Sahel Hospital, alleging that Hezbollah is storing cash under the medical complex. The hospital director denied these claims and urged the army and UNIFIL to inspect the building and refute the allegations. The Lebanese Ministry of Health, meanwhile, reported that within 24 hours of Israeli attacks between Sunday and Monday, four paramedics were killed, four others were injured, and three of their vehicles were damaged.

On the same day (Monday 21 October), the Israeli army carried out an airstrike near Hariri Hospital in the Janah neighbourhood of Beirut, killing 13 people, including a child, and injuring 57 others, seven of whom are now in critical condition.

The Israeli army is systematically targeting rescue and ambulance teams in Lebanon, in accordance with its long record of targeting hospitals during the genocide it has been committing against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023, with the World Health Organisation documenting at least 450 Israeli attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system. Euro-Med Monitor emphasises that the Israeli army appears to be repeating the same crimes in Lebanon.

The Israeli airstrikes on heavily populated areas of Beirut on Monday night, only five to ten minutes after evacuation warnings, violate the precautionary principle in international humanitarian law, which requires warring parties to take all possible precautions to minimise civilian harm. Warnings must be effective and provide civilians with a genuine opportunity to evacuate, and short-term warnings do not meet this requirement.

Civilians are not legitimate targets, and international humanitarian law prohibits acts of violence or threats whose primary purpose is to spread terror among civilians. Under this law, civilians do not lose their protected civilian status due to membership in non-military branches of an armed group or for providing non-military support, meaning it is illegal to target individuals with responsibilities in health, media, or financial sectors.

All States and parties involved in armed conflict are obligated to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law at all times, to use their influence to prevent violations of the law, and to refrain from encouraging other parties to commit such violations.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor calls on the international community to fulfill its obligations to ensure compliance with international law and international humanitarian law, to put an end to the serious crimes being committed by Israel against innocent civilians, and to ensure that all perpetrators are held accountable.