A funeral procession for the Kfar Roummane victims in the village in Nabatieh district, Sept. 8, 2026. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L’Orient-Le Jour)
The families and loved ones of the 13 people killed in Israeli strikes on Kfar Roummane on Sept. 7, including 12 members of the Farhat family, sent a letter Friday to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, asking them to take “diplomatic and legal action” with the United Nations and relevant international bodies.
They are demanding a “clear and unambiguous official Lebanese position,” an independent investigation into the circumstances of the strike and the identification of those responsible. According to the letter, the 12 Farhat family members spanned “three generations”: the grandfather and grandmother, twin brothers and their wives, and their eight children. Among them were a 37-day-old infant, a child with disabilities, several young children and a 13-year-old girl.
“Only two children survived the massacre,” the families wrote, noting that they were “gravely wounded” and suffered “severe body burns.”
‘A new number on the list’
The relatives said they refuse to let the massacre “become a new number added to the list of victims.” They asked the government to formally submit the case to the United Nations, the high commissioner for human rights and international bodies responsible for protecting civilians and children. They also called on the Foreign Ministry to refer the matter to the Security Council and U.N. member states to demand “the opening of an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the massacre and the identification of those responsible.”
The families requested that “the names of the victims, their ages, the circumstances of their deaths, and the injuries of the survivors” be officially recorded to preserve evidence and prevent the facts from being “concealed or distorted.” They also want the case raised before “all international bodies” and those responsible “held accountable, in accordance with international law.”
‘A dangerous message’
“The death of a 37-day-old infant, several children, a child with disabilities, and three generations of the same family is not a family affair nor a marginal incident,” the relatives wrote. “It is a human tragedy and a crime that require investigation, documentation, and the identification of those responsible.”
They also warned that the lack of an official Lebanese position “sends a dangerous message” that targeting civilians, “including children and infants, could go unpunished.”
“We want our State to clearly say that the blood of the children of Kfar Roummane must not be shed, that the lives of Lebanese civilians are not without value, and that the crimes committed against them will not go undocumented or unpunished,” they wrote.
The letter ended with a demand for “urgent and concrete action” from the government and Foreign Ministry, and for the families to be officially informed of the measures to be taken.
“We demand justice, documentation, investigation and accountability,” the relatives concluded. “We demand that the voice of the victims of Kfar Roummane reach the United Nations and all relevant international bodies.”
Salam received a delegation Friday from the Kfar Roummane municipality, led by its president, Abdallah Farhat, who presented requests related to residents’ return and the revival of life in the town. The prime minister said the Council for Development and Reconstruction would soon launch its projects in the region and asked the municipality to draw up a list of priority needs, particularly for families needing housing assistance.
He also said Israeli attacks that caused civilian casualties in Kfar Roummane, “including children,” were being documented by the National Commission for International Humanitarian Law, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri.
The delegation also called for an increased army and security force presence in and around the town. Salam said efforts were continuing “in order to reassure residents and consolidate stability.”
