Amnesty Issues Urgent Call to Protect Lebanese Civilians Following "Brutal" Israeli Escalation

SadaNews - Amnesty International has issued an urgent call for the protection of civilians in Lebanon amid the "brutal escalation" of Israeli attacks, which it claims have involved the "largest coordinated wave of strikes" across various parts of the country within minutes, resulting in the deaths and injuries of hundreds.

Hiba Marai, the regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, stated that civilians in Lebanon are "paying an unbearable price" with children, paramedics, and journalists among the dead, warning that the recent attacks will "exacerbate the horrific loss of life."

According to Marai, the attack on Wednesday was the "deadliest since the last round of fighting erupted on March 2," noting a series of "intense airstrikes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, and in densely populated civilian areas in central Beirut, many of which were carried out without warning."

She added that hospitals "issued calls for blood donation, as the number of incoming casualties exceeds their capacity to accommodate."

She explained that even before yesterday's attack, which the Israeli army referred to as Operation "Eternal Darkness," more than 1,500 people had been killed and over a million displaced from their homes across the country.

Bloody Escalation

Marai remarked: "Just hours after the world cautiously welcomed news of a ceasefire between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, the nightmare faced by the Lebanese has become even more terrifying." She noted that a warning from the Israeli army spokesman that Hezbollah "may have repositioned itself from the southern suburbs of Beirut to northern Beirut and mixed areas in the city" raised fears of further attacks on civilian areas.

The organization reiterated its urgent call for Israel to adhere to its obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians, stating that Israel has a "horrific record of carrying out unlawful attacks in Lebanon" and showing "wanton disregard for civilian life, fueled by an apparent sense of impunity that seems to be enjoyed by Israeli officials."

It emphasized that Israeli forces are "obligated under international humanitarian law to distinguish between civilians and military targets and to refrain completely from directly attacking civilians and civilian objects, as well as from indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks."

According to the organization, they are also required to "take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, including by avoiding the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated residential areas," stressing that failure to do so constitutes "a serious violation of international law and exposes civilian lives to imminent danger."

She added that these attacks underscore the need to stop the arming of Israel given the potential for serious violations of international humanitarian law.

Amnesty International noted that since 2024, it has documented the Israeli army's use of white phosphorus and the carrying out of indiscriminate mass bombings targeting electronic devices, pointing out that Israeli attacks in Lebanon have resulted in a "significant toll of dead and wounded among civilians," including "unlawful airstrikes targeting residential neighborhoods, as well as attacks on journalists, health facilities, ambulances, and paramedics.

The organization highlighted that the Israeli army has destroyed and caused extensive damage to civilian buildings and agricultural land in southern Lebanon from October 1, 2024, to January 26, 2025, with the destruction continuing even after the ceasefire came into effect in November 2024.

Source: Amnesty International