Israeli drone strikes hit southern Lebanon after US-brokered deal
Lebanese state media said two people were wounded as Amnesty urged war crimes probes into earlier Israeli attacks that killed civilians.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Israeli drone strikes hit several areas of southern Lebanon on Friday, including an attack that wounded two people, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. The strikes came after a US-brokered framework agreement meant to prepare for a phased Israeli withdrawal, keeping pressure on a fragile effort to reduce cross-border violence.
The National News Agency said a drone struck a pick-up truck early Friday while it was unloading garbage near Choukine and Kfar Dajjal in the Nabatieh district. The agency reported that two people were injured in that attack.
Lebanese state media also reported separate Israeli strikes on a car in southern Lebanon. Overnight demolition activity was reported in the border town of Khiam, where blasts shook the area, according to the National News Agency.
Later Friday, the agency said drones also hit Kfar Reman and Nabatieh al-Fawqa. It reported no casualties from those strikes.
Amnesty calls for investigations
The latest attacks followed a call by Amnesty International for war crimes investigations into three Israeli strikes in Lebanon in March. The rights group said Thursday that the attacks killed 24 civilians, including 12 children.
According to Amnesty, the March strikes hit homes in the Tyre, Sidon and Nabatieh districts on March 6, 12 and 13. The group said those killed included six women, one of whom was pregnant, and six men. At least 18 others were wounded, Amnesty said.
Amnesty said its investigation found grounds to conclude that Israeli forces had breached international humanitarian law. The group said the violations involved attacks on civilians or civilian property, a failure to separate military targets from civilian ones, or a failure to reduce harm to civilians.
Kristine Beckerle of Amnesty International said Israeli forces had destroyed families, including children, and urged governments to act. Amnesty called for a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel and for states to use universal and extraterritorial jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute those responsible.
Framework deal faces pressure
Amnesty also warned that the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement brokered by the United States and signed on June 26 could hinder accountability. The group urged Lebanon to give the International Criminal Court jurisdiction over crimes committed on Lebanese territory.
The agreement was intended to open the way for a phased Israeli withdrawal, according to the report by Al Jazeera and Anadolu. Amnesty said the deal does not require Israel to leave the broad area of southern Lebanon it still occupies, while Israel appears to be indicating that it will keep carrying out attacks it considers necessary.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said Wednesday that Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 had killed 4,321 people and injured 12,204 others. The ministry’s toll adds to concerns that the latest framework has not halted violence in southern Lebanon.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.