On Thursday, Amnesty International called for an investigation into three attacks by Israel on southern Lebanon last March, which resulted in the killing of 24 civilians, as it amounts to “war crimes.” The war on Lebanon began after Hezbollah’s missile attack on Israel on March 2, in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel responded with a massive raid campaign and a ground incursion into its forces, which occupied dozens of towns and villages in southern Lebanon, and large-scale bombings. And the human rights organization said in a report published on Thursday, that the three Israeli raids “restrained the killing of 24 civilians, including 12 children, and exterminated entire families, which must be investigated as war crimes.” The three raids targeted homes in the cities of Tire, Nabatiyeh and the town of Arkay, near the city of Sidon, between March 6 and 13. “In just one week, the IDF exterminated entire families in Lebanon, including 12 children, a flagrant disregard for the lives of civilians,” said Christine Beckerly, the organization’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
As part of its investigation, the organization interviewed 15 people, including survivors, relatives of victims, paramedics and journalists who visited raid sites and local officials. On Tuesday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the death toll from the Israeli aggression against the country has risen since last March.
