HRW accuses Israel of indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Lebanon

Human Rights Watch has accused the Israeli occupation army of launching indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Lebanon during the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah.

The human rights organisation said on Wednesday that there is mounting evidence of repeated violations of international humanitarian law, accusing the Israeli armed forces of failing to distinguish between civilian and military targets in several strikes across Lebanon in 2023 and 2024.

“More and more evidence is emerging that Israeli forces repeatedly failed to protect civilians or adequately distinguish civilians from military targets during its strikes across Lebanon in 2023 and 2024,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Lebanon’s government should provide a path for justice for grieving families, including by giving the International Criminal Court jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes.”

HRW mentioned two incidents that it described as unlawful and potential war crimes. On 25 September last year, an Israeli air strike on north-east Lebanon killed 23 members of a Syrian refugee family, including 13 children. A two-storey residential building was bombed in another incident on 1 November, killing 10 civilians.

Israel has not adhered to the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that went into effect on 27 November, 2024, and continues to control areas in southern Lebanon, despite the agreement stipulating its complete withdrawal following its invasion of the area last October. Moreover, it launches almost daily air strikes on southern Lebanon.

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