{"id":6679,"date":"2026-04-15T20:03:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T17:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nhrclb.org\/archives\/6679"},"modified":"2026-04-17T20:09:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:09:34","slug":"%d8%ae%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%85%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%aa%d8%ad%d8%af%d8%a9-%d9%8a%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%b5%d9%81-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%b3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nhrclb.org\/en\/archives\/6679","title":{"rendered":"UN experts condemn Israel\u2019s unprecedented bombing in Lebanon after ceasefire announcement, demand immediate halt to hostilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

UN experts* today condemned Israel\u2019s illegal aggression and indiscriminate bombing campaign against Lebanon on 8 April, only hours after a ceasefire agreement was brokered by Pakistan between the United States and Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are witnessing the continuing utmost contempt for the international legal order, for diplomacy, and above all for the lives of civilians and the environment in Lebanon,\u201d the independent experts said. \u201cIsrael has chosen the very moment a ceasefire was announced \u2013 one that its Pakistani mediator stated included Lebanon \u2013 to unleash the largest coordinated wave of strikes on the country since 1980.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not self-defence. It is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, a deliberate destruction of prospects for peace, and an affront to multilateralism and the UN-based international order,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

The experts were concerned that despite the recent announcement of a ceasefire between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, prospects for wider regional de\u2011escalation remain uncertain. The lack of tangible progress on talks last weekend underscored the fragility of existing ceasefire efforts and urgency of stepping up diplomatic engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States\u2019 imposition of a naval blockade is an act of war that has further destabilised the situation,\u201d the experts warned.<\/p>\n

Since the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel on 27 November 2024, Israel has repeatedly violated Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty. In a 10-minute onslaught on 8 April 2026, Israeli forces struck more than 150 locations simultaneously across Lebanon, killing at least 303 persons, and wounding 1,150 others. Hundreds remain under the rubble. Many strikes hit densely populated residential neighbourhoods and commercial areas in central Beirut in violation of the principles of distinction and proportionality and the obligation to take all feasible precautions under customary international humanitarian law (IHL). The strikes caused severe environmental damage by releasing toxic air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, contaminating water systems, and destroying ecosystems through fires, debris, and chemical residues.<\/p>\n

According to the Government of Lebanon, since 2 March, the Israeli army has killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon, including health workers and journalists, and injured 6,588 others. Over 1 million people have been displaced amounting to approximately one in five of Lebanon’s population, of which an estimated 140,682 are in overcrowded shelters. Already in March 2026, the experts\u00a0raised alarm<\/a>\u00a0over a rapidly escalating displacement crisis in Lebanon, after intense Israeli airstrikes and evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut. The pace of displacement in this phase of the conflict has been described by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as faster than during the 2024 escalation. Thousands of civilians \u2014 among them women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities \u2014 have been compelled to abandon their homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe issuance of blanket evacuation orders, combined with the destruction of urban and village housing that displaced persons would have returned to, is consistent with the pattern of domicide that was initiated during the genocide in Gaza,\u201d the experts warned. \u201cThe deliberate destruction of homes is a weapon of war and a form of collective punishment, particularly in Shiite areas in the rural South of the country. It also points to ethnic cleansing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cForced displacement of a civilian population constitutes crimes against humanity and is a war crime under international law,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

The experts also condemned Hezbollah\u2019s recent cross-border attacks against Israeli civilians and urged it to abide by the 2024 ceasefire deal, pursuant to Security Council resolution 1701.<\/p>\n

The experts urgently called for:<\/p>\n