Attack on communication devices in Lebanon violates international law, could be war crime: UN human rights chief

NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Friday said the detonation of hand-held communication devices reportedly used by Hezbollah in Lebanon this week violated international law and could constitute a war crime.

A senior UN official separately warned on Friday that escalation between Israel and Iran-backed groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon could lead to an inevitable spiral into a wider regional conflict.

The explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies on Tuesday and Wednesday killed at least 37 people and wounded more than 3,000 others after they detonated in public areas filled with civilians across Lebanon.

Hezbollah quickly blamed Israel for the violence, but the Israeli government has not commented directly on the attacks.

“It is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians,” said the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

Speaking to a UN Security Council briefing on the attacks called for by Algeria, Turk said he was “appalled by the breadth and impact of the attacks.”

He continued: “These attacks represent a new development in warfare, where communication tools become weapons simultaneously exploding across marketplaces, on street corners, and in homes as daily life unfolds.”

He told the council that this type of action “cannot be the new normal,” adding there was a need for an “independent, thorough, and transparent investigation” into the explosions.

“Those who ordered and carried out these attacks must be held to account. Let me be clear — this method of warfare may be new and unfamiliar. But international humanitarian and human rights law apply regardless and must be upheld,” he said.

The UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told the council that the recent escalation risked “seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far” in the nearly year-long conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“As we approach a full year of near-daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line and bloodshed in Gaza, too many lives have been lost, too many people have been displaced, and too many livelihoods have been destroyed,” DiCarlo said.

“It is not too late to avoid such folly. There is still room for diplomacy, which must be used without delay.

“The secretary-general continues to urgently call on the parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities,” she added.

The Slovenian representative to the UN, Samuel Zbogar, who currently holds the presidency of the Security Council, expressed his “profound concern” over rising violence in the Middle East.

“We are stepping in a dangerous new territory and as new technology is being used and developed, we underline the need to respect the existing legal obligations,” he said.

“Civilian objects should not be weaponized. The international law is clear: use of booby traps is prohibited.

“We call for maximum restraint by all actors in the region. The circle of violence risks escalating into a wider conflict. We call on all parties, both state and non-state actors, to deescalate and refrain from any further retaliatory actions,” he added.

Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood echoed this and told the council that it was “imperative that even as facts emerge about the latest incidents — in which I reiterate, the US played no role — all parties refrain from any actions which could plunge the region into a devastating war.”

He added that Washington expected all parties to the conflict to “comply with international humanitarian law and take all reason steps to minimise harm to civilians.”