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LEBANON WAR

Lebanon to file new UN complaint after Israeli attacks on its Civil Defense

Lebanon to file new UN complaint after Israeli attacks on its Civil Defense

Civil Defense volunteers attempt to extinguish a forest fire started by Israeli bombardment in Alma Shaab, southern Lebanon, on Oct. 26, 2023. (Credit: AFP)

The Lebanese Foreign Affairs Ministry has instructed the Permanent Mission of Lebanon to the United Nations to lodge a complaint with the U.N. Security Council in response to “repeated and deliberate Israeli attacks on Lebanese Civil Defense.”

In its complaint, Lebanon urged Security Council member states to strongly condemn “the Israeli attacks on civil defense, health and relief institutions within the country,” calling them “flagrant violations of international law, tantamount to war crimes” that should “be prosecuted,” according to a Ministry statement published by the official National News Agency (NNA).

The Ministry underlined the vital role played by this institution: “The attack on Civil Defense personnel hinders the exercise of its humanitarian functions,” which in turn “will prevent it from providing immediate assistance to the victims,” while hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel have intensified since Sept. 23.

This call comes around a week after the strike carried out by Israel on Nov. 14, which targeted a Civil Defense center in Douris, in the Baalbeck region, killing Bilal Raad, head of the institution's general management for the Baalbeck-Hermel district.

Since the start of the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, the number of Civil Defense casualties has risen to 27, with over 76 injured. The war has also led to the partial and total destruction of 32 centers belonging to Hezbollah in several regions of the country, as well as the loss of 45 of its vehicles.

The Lebanese Foreign Affairs Ministry has instructed the Permanent Mission of Lebanon to the United Nations to lodge a complaint with the U.N. Security Council in response to “repeated and deliberate Israeli attacks on Lebanese Civil Defense.”In its complaint, Lebanon urged Security Council member states to strongly condemn “the Israeli attacks on civil defense, health and relief institutions within the country,” calling them “flagrant violations of international law, tantamount to war crimes” that should “be prosecuted,” according to a Ministry statement published by the official National News Agency (NNA).The Ministry underlined the vital role played by this institution: “The attack on Civil Defense personnel hinders the exercise of its humanitarian functions,” which in turn “will prevent it from providing...