A group of 19 United Nations experts – including special rapporteurs and independent experts across various human rights mandates – has condemned Israel's attack on Lebanon as illegal and called on UN member states to halt all arms transfers to Israel. The experts issued the condemnation on Wednesday as Israel continued to pound areas of southern Lebanon, killing at least 16 people, including four paramedics, according to Lebanese state media.
Referring to a devastating wave of Israeli attacks across Lebanon on April 8, which Lebanese authorities said killed more than 350 people, including 30 children, the experts stated: "This is not self-defence. It is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, a deliberate destruction of prospects for peace, and an affront to multilateralism and the UN-based international order." They called for Israel to "cease all military operations in Lebanon" and urged UN member states to suspend arms transfers while "there is credible evidence of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law."
Israel escalated its attacks on Lebanon on March 2 after the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in response to the US-Israel killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei two days earlier. Israel has carried out a devastating bombardment across Lebanon and a ground invasion in the south, resulting in the deaths of over 2,000 people and the forced displacement of more than 1.2 million individuals.
The UN experts asserted that such forced displacement "of a civilian population constitutes crimes against humanity." They also condemned Israel's targeted "destruction of homes," particularly in predominantly Shia areas of the south, as "a form of collective punishment" that "points to ethnic cleansing." Israel's continuing bombardment of Lebanon has been a point of tension in US-Iran negotiations, with Tehran insisting that Lebanon be included in any ceasefire agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire with Iran and that Israel will continue to target Hezbollah "wherever required." Reuters reported that Israel's security cabinet planned to convene to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon, while several senior Lebanese officials indicated that ceasefire efforts are underway, highlighting the ongoing diplomatic challenges in the region.
Source: www.aljazeera.com