Booby-trapped device attacks in Lebanon breach international law, says UN rights chief

Smoke rises from Beirut's southern suburbs following an Israeli air strike. Reuters

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The UN human rights chief on Friday denounced the rigged device attacks carried out in Lebanon, saying they constitute a breach of international human rights law and could amount to a war crime.

Volker Turk told the Security Council, which convened for an emergency discussion on the latest developments in Lebanon, that using devices disguised as “apparently harmless portable objects” is an act of violence aimed at spreading “terror among civilians”.

The human rights chief called for an independent, thorough and transparent investigation, and for those who ordered and carried out the attacks to be held to account.

Algeria's ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama said turning such devices into bombs sets a “dangerous” precedent, threatening the safety of all.

“This opens a dangerous Pandora's box,” said Mr Bendjama. “What will happen if such unfamiliar tactics are replicated by terrorist groups while the international community calls for de-escalation?”

The pagers were labeled with Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, while the walkie-talkies featured Osaka-based Icom. Icom confirmed its IC-V82 was produced and exported globally, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to 2014, before being discontinued. They warned that counterfeit versions have since circulated widely in international markets.

Israel is widely believed to have been behind the attacks, although it has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.

The attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday followed Israel's announcement of a shift in focus towards its conflict with Hezbollah, which has displaced tens of thousands of Israelis in the north.

The Israeli government said it was committed to ensuring the return of residents to those areas, while the heavily armed militant group vowed to continue its attacks until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza.

The blasts killed at least 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days in “an unprecedented method of warfare in its brutality and terror”, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told the Security Council, calling the attack “nothing but terrorism.”

The majority of those killed were members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which honored each individual with separate statements acknowledging their deaths.

“The Lebanese people and the Lebanese Government are not war-lovers, and we do not seek revenge. We are only seeking justice, a diplomatic settlement and the return of the displaced to their villages,” he said.

He called on the council to stop Israel's “war machinery” and to avert a destructive regional war.

“This is the moment of truth,” said Mr Bou Habib. “Either this council compels Israel to stop its aggression and implement Security Council Resolution 1701 and 2735 and end its war on all fronts, allow the return of the displaced to their villages, or we will be silent witnesses to the great explosion that is looming on the horizon today.”

In response to the Israeli attacks, Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets towards northern Israel on Friday morning, hitting Israeli military bases in the occupied Golan Heights.

Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said the Israelis will not allow the Iran-backed militant group to continue “its provocations” and accused the group of breaching international law.

“We will not allow our people to live under constant threat, nor will we allow Hezbollah to use Lebanese territory as a launch pad for violence,” he said. “Hezbollah does not act alone. It is a puppet, and Iran is pulling the strings.”

He urged the Security Council to stand by Israel as it seeks to “restore security”, because it is “not just Israel's fight. It is a fight against terrorism, against instability and against the forces that seek to destroy peace in the region.”

Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an air strike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it secures the area around the Lebanese border. Israel last fought an all-out war against Hezbollah in 2006.

“For the sake of regional peace, security, and the so-called [Gaza] ceasefire talks, the Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently shown maximum restraint,” Iran's UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the Council.