Lebanon: Alarm at sharp escalation in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah

We are extremely alarmed by the sharp escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and call on all parties to immediately cease the violence and to ensure the protection of civilians.

Yesterday marked the deadliest day of violence in years, with reports of at least 492 killed and 1,645 injured following a series of Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon. Lebanon’s health ministry said 35 children and 58 women were among those killed, as well as a number of medical workers. Roads in southern Lebanon are crammed with people in cars fleeing the violence. This latest violence follows last week’s deadly pager and two-way radio attacks in Lebanon and Syria, and the firing of hundreds of rockets by Hezbollah into Israel from Lebanon.

International humanitarian law is very clear. All parties to an armed conflict must at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives. Constant care must be taken to spare the civilian population and civilian objects. The laws of war also oblige all parties to observe the principle of proportionality.

Incidents in which any civilians – including children and medical workers – are killed or seriously injured, potentially in violation of international law, must be subject to independent, thorough, and transparent investigations into the circumstances of the attacks.

UN High Commissioner Volker Türk calls on all States and actors with influence in the region and beyond to avert further escalation and do everything they can to ensure full respect for international law.