
A United Nations peacekeeper (UNIFIL) is pictured on a UN armoured vehicle in Naqoura, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, Aug. 31, 2023. (Credit: Aziz Taher/Reuters File Photo)
The United Nations said Friday the detonation of hand-held communication devices in Lebanon, in an double attack widely attributed to Israel, could constitute a war crime.
The blasts that killed at least 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 on Tuesday and Wednesday targeted communication devices used by Hezbollah.
Pagers and walkie-talkies exploded in two separate rounds of attacks, as their users were shopping in supermarkets, walking on streets and attending funerals, leaving many maimed, blinded, and with long-term physical trauma.
Israel is believed to have infiltrated the supply chain through which Hezbollah brought the devices into Lebanon, planting explosive material beside the devices' lithium batteries.
"International humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby-trap devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects," the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, told the Security Council during an emergency session on Lebanon requested by Algeria.
"It is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians. War has rules," he insisted, repeating his call for an "independent, rigorous and transparent" investigation.
"Simultaneously targeting thousands of individuals, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowing who is in possession of the devices concerned, their location and their environment at the time of the attack, violates international humanitarian law and, where applicable, international humanitarian law," he told the Security Council "It is thus difficult to conceive how, in these circumstances, such attacks could comply with the key principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution."
"These attacks represent a new development in warfare, where communications devices become weapons," he said. "This cannot be the new normal."
U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, said that after the explosions of Hezbollah hand-held communication devices, the exchange of fire along the Blue Line showed "worrying signs of escalation."
She also noted that, while, to date, the Israeli government has made no official comment on these developments, "the risk of a further expansion of this cycle of violence is extremely serious and poses a grave threat to the stability of Lebanon, Israel and the entire region."
She called on all parties to practice restraint and on influential member states to act decisively to prevent further escalation. Over the last week, Israeli leaders announced the war was entering a "new phase" and expanding the scope of its war against Hezbollah.
Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, who had made the trip to New York for the meeting, took direct aim at Israel, which he described as a "rogue state" that has engaged in an "unprecedented method of warfare" with an attack characterized by its "brutality and terror."
"Israel, through this terrorist aggression has violated the basic principles of international humanitarian law," he said.
He added, "We are not war or vengeance enthusiasts. We demand justice, a diplomatic solution and the return of displaced persons to their villages. It is now clear that Israel does not respect international humanitarian law or U.N. resolutions," calling on UN Security Council members to "support Lebanon in its quest for security and stability." Bou Habib warned that "any new Israeli adventure in Lebanon could lead to a large-scale and unprecedented regional war."
In response, Israeli ambassador Danny Danon called his country "peaceful," claiming Israel does not want a "wider conflict," but only seeks to "protect" its citizens. "We have no intention to enter a war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, but we cannot continue the way it is," he said.
"Instead of accusing us, your peaceful neighbor," he added, "we should be taking action now [against Hezbollah]. If you continue to ignore Hezbollah's aggression, you will be responsible for the suffering of the Lebanese people."
When asked whether Israel was responsible for the pager attacks, he declined to comment but affirmed, "We will do everything we can to target these terrorists." He also warned, "If Hezbollah does not retreat from our border... through diplomatic efforts, Israel will be left with no choice but to use any means within our rights."
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the body was "very concerned about the heightened escalation" across the Lebanon-Israel frontier after Friday's Israeli strike on Beirut.
For nearly a year, the focus of Israel's firepower has been on Gaza but its troops have also been engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire with Hezbollah along the Lebanese-Israeli border. Hundreds have been killed in Lebanon, most of them fighters, and dozens in Israel, including soldiers.