UN Urges Prompt, Impartial Probe After Deadly Israeli Strikes in Lebanon

UN calls for investigation after deadly strike on refugee camp

The UN human rights office has urged a "prompt and impartial" investigation into recent Israeli strikes in Lebanon, warning that some attacks may have breached international humanitarian law nearly a year after a ceasefire was signed. The appeal follows a deadly strike on the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon that the UN spokesperson said killed children and other civilians.

Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement that all those killed in the Ein el-Hilweh strike were civilians and voiced "serious concerns that the Israeli military's attack may have violated international humanitarian law principles on the conduct of hostilities." He reported that at least 13 civilians, including 11 children, were killed and several others injured in the attack.

"There must be prompt and impartial investigations ... those responsible must be brought to justice," Al-Kheetan said, urging accountability for any violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

The UN says more than 300 people have been killed in Lebanon since the November 27, 2024 ceasefire, including roughly 127 civilians. Israeli forces remain deployed in five areas of southern Lebanon and carry out near-daily air raids that, according to Israel, target fighters from the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and its infrastructure.

Al-Kheetan also warned that Israeli strikes have damaged civilian infrastructure — homes, roads, factories and construction sites — hampering reconstruction in southern Lebanon and preventing displaced families from returning home. He cited a November 16 strike on a cement and asphalt factory in Ansar that reportedly destroyed dozens of concrete mixers, cranes and fuel tanks.

The UN estimates that more than 64,000 people, mostly from southern Lebanon, remain internally displaced. Al-Kheetan said Israeli work on a barrier that crosses into Lebanese territory has rendered approximately 4,000 square metres inaccessible, further undermining displaced people's right of return.

Tensions have risen following an Israeli strike in Beirut that killed a senior Hezbollah commander. Hezbollah said its chief of staff, Haytham Ali Tabtabai, was among five people killed and 28 injured in the attack in Dahiyeh. Analysts described the Beirut strike as a significant escalation, coming as Lebanese leaders were preparing to enter talks under regional and international pressure.

Al-Kheetan urged "all parties" to observe the ceasefire in good faith. "A genuine path towards a permanent cessation of hostilities is the only way to protect the human rights of civilians on both sides from the devastating effects of new hostilities," he said.

The UN statement also reiterated concerns about Gaza. It said more than 300 people have been killed there since a truce took effect in early October and cited a total of at least 69,733 people killed in Gaza since October 2023. The statement recalled that the current round of hostilities followed an attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023, and subsequent cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah beginning on October 8, 2023.

While providing these figures, the UN called for investigations and accountability where breaches of international law may have occurred and for humanitarian access and reconstruction efforts that enable displaced people to return home safely.