UN eyeing potential Israeli war crimes in Lebanon

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has accused Israel of committing large-scale violations of human rights in Lebanon that might be classed as war crimes.

Turk said on Monday during a visit to Lebanon that his office had recorded violations of international law in the country, and he called on the Israeli military to end its persistent shelling and demolitions in southern Lebanon.

“I am struck by the widespread damage and compounded suffering that I have seen,” Turk said in a statement. “The trauma, frustration and despair are palpable – but so too is the demand for justice.”

Despite a ceasefire agreement sealed in April, “the Israeli military continues to kill and injure people in Lebanon amid continued air strikes and ground operations”, Turk said.

Visiting a school repurposed as a shelter and hosting around 1,000 displaced people, he rated some of the Israeli military’s violations as “possibly amounting to war crimes”.

“This is the second or third cycle of displacement for many. Some told me they attempted to return home last week, only to discover that their villages have been destroyed,” he said.

In an interview with Al Jazeera the same day, Turk said that “there is a deep sense of exhaustion and despair from people”.

When asked about the situation for UN workers affected by Israeli violence, Turk told Al Jazeera: “I have been working for the United Nations for the past 35 years, over the last two years, I have never have imagined that we would end up in a situation where in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Yemen, our colleagues are killed not only once or twice but frankly, in a way that is totally unfathomable.”

Turk also stressed the importance of documenting Israeli violence and holding perpetrators accountable.

“I do think that the majority of people around the world care about … our work …[and also] … the truth coming out,” he continued.

“We need to point out that nobody is above international law and there are no exceptions to it.”