The United Nations human rights chief has strongly denounced a series of deadly explosions of pagers and communication devices in Lebanon, calling it "a war crime".
Saying that he is “appalled” by the deadly attacks on civilians in Lebanon on Sept. 17 and 18, Volker Turk told a UN Security Council session that “these attacks represent a new development in warfare, where communication tools become weapons.”
“This has unleashed widespread fear, panic and horror among people in Lebanon, already suffering in an increasingly volatile situation since October 2023 and crumbling under a severe and long standing economic crisis. This cannot be the new normal,” he warned.
Emphasizing that “war has rules for each and every party” of all armed conflicts, Turk stressed: “All feasible precautions must be taken to spare civilians. Attacks must remain proportional to the wider damage they inflict.”
Turk stated that “the attack should not be carried out” if the “attacker” is unable to make an assessment of its impact on civilians, and demanded “an independent, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of these explosions”.
“This tragic situation cannot be seen in isolation,” he affirmed, adding that it is “bound up with the war in Gaza, the spiraling violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian territory.”
On Tuesday and Wednesday, 37 people were killed and more than 3,200 others, including children and women, were injured in a series of explosions that struck “pager” and “ICOM” wireless devices in Lebanon. There has been no Israeli comment on the blasts.
Amir Saeed Iravani, the Iranian envoy to the United Nations, has stated that Israel crossed…
Iran has unveiled its newest domestically-manufactured long-range precision-guided missile and drone during a military parade…
No member of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) was present at the location in…
Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations condemned the Israeli regime’s “evil” activities in Lebanon,…
Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced at least 14 people have been killed and 66 wounded in…
A Taliban official who refused to stand up while Iran’s anthem was being played at…