The United Nations on Wednesday issued a forceful condemnation of a broad campaign of Israeli strikes across Lebanon, describing accounts that hundreds of people, including civilians, were killed or injured as "appalling." The U.N. statement came only hours after a ceasefire agreement involving Iran took effect.
U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said the scale of destruction and loss of life across Lebanon was "nothing short of horrific." He said the strikes - the heaviest Israel has carried out since the conflict with Hezbollah began last month - risk placing intense strain on a fragile peace that civilians urgently need.
Turk reported that a U.N. Human Rights team at the scene of one strike in the capital witnessed devastation and observed several dead bodies amid the rubble. The statement highlighted specific incidents that reportedly struck medical infrastructure and emergency services.
Lebanese civil defense authorities said the death toll from the strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday had risen to 254. Separately, Turk said an overnight strike that hit a building in front of Hiram Hospital in Al-Aabbassiye, near Tyre, reportedly killed four people and damaged the hospital. Another reported attack struck an Islamic Health Authority ambulance in Qlaileh, reportedly killing three.
Israel said it had targeted more than 100 Hezbollah command centres and identified military sites struck in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. The strikes occurred even as the Iran-aligned group paused its attacks on northern Israel and Israeli forces in Lebanon under a two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
In his statement, Turk emphasized the protections afforded by international humanitarian law, noting that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be shielded from attack. He called for prompt and independent investigations into all alleged violations and said that those responsible should be brought to justice.
The scale and timing of the strikes, following an agreement to pause hostilities, prompted the U.N. rights chief to say the carnage "defies belief" and raises serious concerns about the durability of the ceasefire arrangement and the safety of civilians in affected areas.
Context limitations: The available reporting specifies the locations, casualty figures reported by Lebanese authorities, the number of Hezbollah command centres Israel said it targeted, and the incidents described by the U.N. Human Rights team. There is no further verified detail in the reporting about the sequence of strikes beyond those points, nor about any subsequent developments.