The civilian death toll from Israel’s ongoing strikes across Lebanon continues to mount as the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah enters its 14th month. Yet, there has been no sign of accountability for Israel’s unlawful attacks or violations of the laws of war. If there is no pressure for warring parties to answer for their violations, there is little reason to suspect they will change their behavior.
The situation is dire. Since October 2023, Israeli strikes have killed more than 3,280 people in Lebanon, including more than 600 women, 200 children, and 190 health and rescue workers, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Human Rights Watch has documented flagrant violations of the laws of war and war crimes by the Israeli military, including apparently deliberate or indiscriminate attacks on journalists, civilians, medics, financial institutions, and peacekeepers, in addition to the widespread and unlawful use of white phosphorus in populated areas, among other violations. More than one million people have been displaced, thousands of buildings and houses have been destroyed, and entire border villages have been reduced to rubble.
On its part, Hezbollah has fired thousands of munitions into Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, killing at least 37 civilians, although Hezbollah denied responsibility for a July 27 attack on the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 children.
Despite having no control over the warring parties, the Lebanese government is not powerless. There are important steps it can take to ensure documentation of abuses and advance the possibility of accountability.
Last week, more than 20 human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, called on Lebanon and other United Nations member states to convene a special session at the UN Human Rights Council to establish an international investigation into all human rights violations committed by all parties involved in the conflict in Lebanon.
Such an investigation could document ongoing crimes, collect evidence, and publicly report on their findings. While documentation is crucial, so is accountability. The government of Lebanon should also move forward and provide the International Criminal Court with jurisdiction to investigate crimes committed on Lebanese territory since October 2023.
As atrocities continue to mount, Lebanon’s government can and should proactively act to ensure that impunity for grave violations does not remain the norm. An international investigation and a path to accountability for grave crimes are essential.
