Amnesty urges investigation into Israeli attacks on Lebanon as 'war crimes'

Amnesty International is demanding an investigation into Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, alleging that the attacks have "wiped out entire families" and should be treated as war crimes. The human rights organization focused on three specific strikes between March 6 and 13, which resulted in the deaths of 24 civilians, 12 of whom were children.

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wiping out families

The London-based group stated that its findings are based on interviews with 15 individuals, including survivors, relatives, paramedics, journalists, and local officials. Amnesty International claims that Israeli forces violated international humanitarian law in these strikes by failing to distinguish between civilians and military objectives, or by not taking adequate precautions to minimize civilian harm.

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Based on the evidence gathered, in each of these air strikes, Amnesty International has reasonable basis to conclude that Israeli forces violated international humanitarian law, including by failing to distinguish between civilians and military objectives, by carrying out attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects, or by failing to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians.

In response to Amnesty's inquiry, Israeli authorities reportedly said that some of the attacks were directed against Hezbollah military objectives, while others were "referred for examination." They also affirmed their commitment to mitigating harm to civilians during operations. However, Amnesty International noted that the Israeli military did not provide specific details regarding the three investigated attacks.

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within the space of just a week -- the Israeli military obliterated entire families, including a dozen children, in Lebanon, demonstrating a callous disregard for civilian lives.

Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, characterized the strikes as demonstrating a "callous disregard for civilian lives." She urged states to impose an immediate arms embargo on Israel and to use universal jurisdiction to prosecute those responsible. This call comes despite a recent U.S.-backed agreement between Lebanon and Israel aimed at ending hostilities.

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States must impose an immediate comprehensive arms embargo on Israel and use universal and extraterritorial jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute those responsible.