Lebanon takes 'landmark step' towards justice for war crimes: HRW says

On Saturday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) praised the Lebanese government for taking a "landmark step" in securing justice for war crimes in Lebanon. 

HRW quoted Lama Fakih, the organization's Middle East and North Africa director, saying: “The Foreign Affairs Minister should swiftly file a declaration accepting the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction and create a pathway for victims of war crimes, including those committed by Israeli forces, to obtain justice."

"This is an important reminder to those who flout their obligations under the laws of war that they may find themselves in the dock,” Fakih added.

On Friday, Lebanon’s government issued a decision instructing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to file a declaration with the International Criminal Court (ICC) registrar accepting the court’s jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes on Lebanese territory since October 7, 2023.

"Acceptance of the court’s jurisdiction through a declaration is distinct from ratifying the ICC’s founding treaty to become a formal member of the court," said the organization in a statement.

Additionally, it added that filing a declaration would grant the court’s prosecutor a mandate to investigate crimes committed in Lebanon, regardless of the nationality of the suspects.

Previously, Human Rights Watch recorded that two Israeli strikes in Lebanon on October 13, 2023, killed Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah and injured six others, concluding that the attack was "apparently deliberate" and therefore a war crime. 

It also confirmed that another "apparent war crime" was documented when an Israeli strike in Lebanon killed three children and a grandmother in November. 

"Human Rights Watch has also exposed the Israeli military’s use of white phosphorus in operations in Lebanon since October 7," the organization affirmed.