Amnesty International: Israeli strikes in Lebanon may amount to war crimes

BEIRUT, July 10 (YPA) –  Amnesty International has called for an investigation into three Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon carried out in March, saying they may amount to war crimes after killing 24 civilians.

In a report published on Thursday, the rights group said the three Israeli strikes “killed 24 civilians, including 12 children, and wiped-out entire families”, adding that they “must be investigated as war crimes”.

The strikes targeted homes in the cities of Tyre and Nabatieh, as well as the town of Erkay near Sidon, between 6th and 13th March.

As part of its investigation, Amnesty International interviewed 15 people, including survivors, relatives of victims, paramedics, journalists who visited the strike sites and local officials.

The organization said the evidence it gathered provided “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.”

Amnesty called on governments to impose an arms embargo on “Israel” and use legal mechanisms to prosecute those behind the alleged violations in Lebanon.

According to official Lebanese figures, Israel’s military escalation since its expansion in March has killed more than 4,300 people. Attacks on towns in southern Lebanon have continued despite publicly announced ceasefire agreements.

@E.Y.M