UN official: Israeli violations in Lebanon may amount to “war crimes”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said on Monday that some Israeli violations in Lebanon could amount to war crimes, echoing criticism from other human rights groups regarding the widespread destruction of towns and villages and the killing of dozens of medical personnel and journalists.

Describing what happened as the “total destruction” of civilian homes, Türk added, “This kind of demolition raises serious questions about compliance with international humanitarian law.”

In a statement, Türk called for an end to the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and for the safe return of displaced people to their homes.

“Yesterday I met with a man who told me he had returned to his village in this area… south of the so-called Yellow Line,” Türk said, adding, “The Israelis were there, and they prevented him from approaching it in any way. He saw how the village had been destroyed.”

Türk added that he had contacted the Israeli authorities hoping to arrange a similar visit, but had received no response.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that an independent and impartial assessment mission, agreed upon with the Lebanese government, is already on the ground to gather evidence of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed by all parties to the conflict since March 2.