The person responsible for the attack “must be held accountable,” said the top human rights official, Volker Turk.
The mass detonation of electronic devices that killed at least 37 people and injured thousands more in Lebanon and Syria was a “shocking” an act that violates international human rights law, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk said on Wednesday.
In his statementIn a statement posted on the UN’s official website, Turk called for immediate action to find the perpetrators of the attack.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, numerous explosions occurred in Lebanon, with pagers, walkie-talkies and even laptops exploding simultaneously. The attacks appear to have targeted members of the militant group Hezbollah, a powerful Iranian-backed political movement and paramilitary force in Lebanon. However, many innocent bystanders were also affected by the blasts.
Hezbollah and the Beirut government have blamed Israel for the attacks and vowed retaliation. The Jewish state has so far neither confirmed nor denied responsibility. However, media reports have claimed that the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, had placed small explosive charges on the devices in preparation for a major war with Hezbollah and activated them via a remote signal.
According to Turk, the attack was “unacceptable” Regardless of who the target was.
The simultaneous attack against thousands of people, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowledge of who was in possession of the attacked devices, their location and their surroundings at the time of the attack, violates international human rights law.
Turk asked for a “Independent, thorough and transparent investigation” on the circumstances of the explosions and said that “Those who ordered and carried out such an attack must be held accountable.” He also called on “all states with influence in the region and beyond” to help de-escalate the situation in order to avoid an all-out war between Lebanon and Israel, stressing that “The protection of civilians must be the highest priority.”
The blasts came against the backdrop of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. Since the start of the conflict in Gaza, Hamas-supporting Hezbollah has carried out a limited campaign of drone and missile attacks in northern Israel, demanding that the Jewish state end its campaign in the enclave. Israeli authorities have repeatedly threatened to launch a major offensive in Lebanon in response.
Less than two months ago, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that West Jerusalem was preparing for “total war” with Hezbollah. Following the second wave of explosions on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that “a new stage” The Israeli president said the country’s war against militant groups was just beginning and the focus was shifting from Hamas to Hezbollah. He also said the bulk of Israeli forces were being moved to the Lebanese border.
