Lebanon: Urgent call to protect civilians as death toll mounts following brutal escalation in Israeli attacks

Responding to the unprecedented escalation by the Israeli military which said it conducted the “largest coordinated wave of strikes” today attacking 100 sites across Lebanon within 10 minutes, killing and wounding hundreds, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Heba Morayef said:

“Just hours after the world cautiously welcomed news of a US-Israeli ceasefire with Iran, in Lebanon the nightmare for civilians has become more terrifying. Today has been the deadliest day since the latest round of fighting began on 2 March with an intense barrage of air strikes carried out across south Lebanon, the Beqaa valley and in crowded civilian areas in central Beirut - many without warning. Hospitals have put out calls for blood donations, overwhelmed by the number of injured arriving.

“Even before today’s attack, which the Israeli military referred to as operation ‘Eternal Darkness’, more than 1,500 people had been killed and over a million people displaced from their homes across the country. Civilians in Lebanon are already paying an unbearable price with children, health workers and journalists amongst those killed – the latest attacks will only escalate this devastating human toll.

“We reiterate the urgent need Israel to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure civilians are protected. Israel has an appalling track record of carrying out unlawful attacks in Lebanon and displaying a callous disregard for civilian life, fueled by the impunity Israeli officials feel they enjoy.

“The recent warning from the Israeli military spokesperson that Hezbollah has repositioned from the southern suburbs of Beirut to north Beirut and mixed areas of the city has raised fears of further attacks in civilian areas. Israeli forces are bound by their obligations under international humanitarian law to distinguish between civilians and military objectives and to categorically refrain from carrying out direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, indiscriminate, disproportionate attacks. They are required to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, including by avoiding the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated residential areas. Failure to uphold these obligations constitutes a serious violation of international law and places civilian lives in imminent danger.

“These attacks are a reminder that states must immediately halt the transfer of arms and weapons to Israel given the overriding risk that they will be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.”

Fatima, an eyewitness to one of the strikes described the devastating scenes after an attack struck the building across the road from her house in Salim Salam, Beirut:

“I grabbed my laptop and rushed to the street. It was apocalyptic. Bodies on the ground. Blood everywhere. I saw countless wounded adults and children. I walked further but it was the same scene in the other neighbourhoods too. I did not know where to go. I just walked aimlessly trying to get as far as possible. It was a nightmare.”