United Nations has said that Lebanon The blasts in communications equipment could amount to a war crime, with Beirut’s top diplomat accusing Israel of planning a ‘terrorist’ attack.
At least 37 people were killed and nearly 3,000 injured in the blasts that took place in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday. In these explosions, the communication equipment used by the militant organization Hezbollah was targeted.
Pagers and walkie-talkies went off as their users shopped in markets, walked the streets and attended funerals, causing panic in the country.
According to the French news agency AFP, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told the Security Council during an emergency meeting on Lebanon at Algeria’s request, “International humanitarian law appears to be harmless and supportive.” Prohibits the use of dangerous devices in the form of goods.’
He reiterated his demand for an ‘independent, rigorous and transparent’ investigation, saying that ‘torturing with the aim of terrorizing civilians is a war crime.’
Lebanese officials blamed Israel for the attack and said the devices that exploded had been tampered with before entering the country.
Hezbollah vowed retaliation and launched its own internal investigation into the blasts.
“The scale and impact of the attacks are troubling to me,” Volker Turk said.
“These attacks are a sign of a new development in warfare, where communication tools become weapons,” he added. This cannot be the new normal.’
Addressing the Security Council, Lebanon’s top diplomat, Abdullah Bou Habib, described the attack as an “unconventional method of war in its brutality and terrorism”.
He called Israel a “rogue state” and said that “Israel has violated the basic principles of international humanitarian law through this terrorist attack.”
Diplomatic efforts
Israel has not commented on the bombings but has said it will expand its war in Gaza to include the Lebanese front.
“I can tell you that we will do everything we can to target these terrorists,” Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters on Friday when asked about the bombings.
He said this after Israel announced the death of the commander of an elite unit of Hezbollah in an attack on Beirut on Friday.
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“We have no intention of going to war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, but we cannot continue as it is,” he said.
Addressing the UN Security Council, Danon said that Israel will take all possible measures to restore security in the northern regions.
If Hezbollah does not withdraw from our border through diplomatic efforts… Israel will have no choice but to use all possible means within its rights.’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, has said that his organization is deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions on the border between Lebanon and Israel following the Israeli attack on Beirut on Friday.
He demanded ‘maximum restraint’ from all parties.
Hezbollah is said to be an ally of Hamas, which has been fighting in Gaza since the October 7 attack on Israel.
Israel has been shelling Gaza for nearly a year, but its forces have also engaged in near-daily clashes with Hezbollah militants on its northern border.
Hundreds of people have been killed in Lebanon, mostly militants, and dozens have been killed in Israel, including soldiers.
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2024-09-21 18:15:10
