UN condemns deadly device explosions in Lebanon as violation of international law
21 أيلول 2024 06:39
The United Nations said Friday the detonation of hand-held communication devices in Lebanon could constitute a war crime as Beirut’s top diplomat accused Israel of orchestrating what he called a “terror” attack.
The blasts that killed at least 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 on Tuesday and Wednesday targeted communication devices used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
Pagers and walkie-talkies exploded as their users were shopping in supermarkets, walking on streets and attending funerals, plunging the country into panic.
“International humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby-trap devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects,” the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, told the Security Council during an emergency session on Lebanon requested by Algeria.
“It is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians,” he added, repeating his call for an “independent, rigorous and transparent” investigation.
Lebanese authorities blame Israel for the attack and have said the targeted devices were booby-trapped before they entered the country.
Hezbollah has vowed retribution and launched its own internal probe into the explosions.
“I am appalled by the breadth and impact of the attacks,” said Turk.
“These attacks represent a new development in warfare, where communication tools become weapons,” he added.
“This cannot be the new normal.”
Speaking at the Security Council, Lebanon’s top diplomat Abdallah Bou Habib called the attack “an unprecedented method of warfare in its brutality and terror.”
“Israel, through this terrorist aggression has violated the basic principles of international humanitarian law,” he said, calling Israel a “rogue state.”
The blasts that killed at least 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 on Tuesday and Wednesday targeted communication devices used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
Pagers and walkie-talkies exploded as their users were shopping in supermarkets, walking on streets and attending funerals, plunging the country into panic.
“International humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby-trap devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects,” the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, told the Security Council during an emergency session on Lebanon requested by Algeria.
“It is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians,” he added, repeating his call for an “independent, rigorous and transparent” investigation.
Lebanese authorities blame Israel for the attack and have said the targeted devices were booby-trapped before they entered the country.
Hezbollah has vowed retribution and launched its own internal probe into the explosions.
“I am appalled by the breadth and impact of the attacks,” said Turk.
“These attacks represent a new development in warfare, where communication tools become weapons,” he added.
“This cannot be the new normal.”
Speaking at the Security Council, Lebanon’s top diplomat Abdallah Bou Habib called the attack “an unprecedented method of warfare in its brutality and terror.”
“Israel, through this terrorist aggression has violated the basic principles of international humanitarian law,” he said, calling Israel a “rogue state.”