UN to Send Investigation Team to Lebanon over Potential Law Violations

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk. (Anthony Headley/OHCHR)

JAKARTA - The United Nations human rights office will send an investigative team to Lebanon next week to assess potential violations of international law by all parties during the ongoing war in the country, said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk Wednesday.

"This is the first time we are sending this assessment mission, and the idea is indeed to see violations by all parties - violations of international law, violations of international human rights law, and to document them, and finally report back to you on our findings," said Turk, launching Al Arabiya from Reuters (10/6).

Lebanon was dragged into the wider Middle East conflict on March 2, when Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with Iran, which was under attack by the United States-Israel, triggering a massive Israeli air and ground campaign.

More than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon and more than a million Lebanese have been displaced.

The United States then announced a ceasefire on April 16, but fighting continued, and Lebanon said Israel had carried out nearly 3,500 attacks since the ceasefire was announced.

The crisis is rapidly eroding food security, with nearly one in four people in Lebanon - some 1.24 million people - expected to face crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity by August, according to the United Nations.