In an interview with Al Jazeera, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk says his office has recorded violations of international law by Israel in Lebanon, with some cases that may amount to war crimes.
Speaking during a two-day visit to Lebanon, Turk said he met internally displaced people, many of whom had been displaced multiple times since 2006 and described a “deep sense of exhaustion and despair.” He recounted meeting a man who was prevented from returning to his village and watched it being demolished in front of his eyes.
Turk said his office has dispatched an assessment mission to document serious violations of international humanitarian law, emphasising the principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality.
He also expressed deep concern over the targeting of UN staff, noting hundreds of colleagues killed in Gaza and UNIFIL personnel killed in southern Lebanon, with 74 colleagues currently detained in Yemen.
He stressed that “nobody is above international law” and that the truth must be told.
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