Herald-Sun | 22 September 2024
How can this evil continue – Mark
United Nations: The UN says the detonation of handheld communication devices in Lebanon could constitute a war crime as Beirut’s top diplomat accused Israel of orchestrating what he called a “terror” attack.
The blasts that killed at least 37 people and wounded nearly 3000 last week targeted communication devices used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Pagers and walkie-talkies exploded as their users were shopping in supermarkets, walking on streets and attending funerals, plunging the country into panic.
“International humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby-trap devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects,” the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, told the Security Council during an emergency session on Lebanon requested by Algeria.
“It is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians,” he said, repeating his call for an “independent, rigorous and transparent” investigation.
Lebanese authorities blame Israel for the attack and have said the devices were booby-trapped before they entered the country. Hezbollah has vowed retribution and launched its own internal probe into the explosions.
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