UN: Israeli attacks in Lebanon could be war crimes, targeting civilians, health workers, residential buildings

(Patria) - Israeli airstrikes on residential buildings, displaced people, and health workers in Lebanon are causing concern and could constitute war crimes under international law, the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) announced on Tuesday.

The Israeli army has been carrying out airstrikes in Lebanon since the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah attacked Israel with rockets from Lebanon at the beginning of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

At least 886 people have been killed in Lebanon in Israeli attacks, and over a million have had to leave their homes, according to Lebanese authorities.

"Israeli airstrikes have destroyed entire residential buildings in densely populated urban areas, with multiple family members, including women and children, often killed together," said OHCHR spokesperson Tamin al-Kitan to reporters in Geneva.

The Israeli army was not immediately available for comment on his claims.

The UN Human Rights Office had previously called for an investigation into the deadly attacks on displaced persons seeking shelter in tents along the Beirut coast and attacks on a medical center in Bint Jbeil.

"International law is very clear that intentional attacks on civilians or civilian objects are war crimes," said OHCHR.

The Israeli army claims it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and portrays its ground operation, which it launched in Lebanon, as defensive measures to protect northern Israel from militia attacks.

About a fifth of the population in Lebanon has been displaced following Israeli evacuation orders across southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The expansion of these orders to the area between the Litani and Zahrani rivers could constitute forced displacement, prohibited under international humanitarian law, said al-Kitan.

UN Humanitarian Co-Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, said civilians are paying a high price.

"Displacement is increasing incredibly rapidly. At this moment, hundreds of thousands of people have left their homes, and many of them left with very little, just the clothes on their backs," he added.

The delivery of humanitarian aid is limited by reduced global donations and disruptions in supply chains, he said.

The air bridge used by Gulf countries to send humanitarian aid during the 2023-2024 war is not operational due to airspace restrictions caused by the wider regional conflict. Riza said that only three planes with humanitarian aid arrived in Lebanon last week.