UN to send investigators to Lebanon over potential law breaches, rights chief says
UN Human Rights Office to Assess Law Violations in Lebanon Conflict
Deployment of UN Investigators
GENEVA, June 10 (Reuters) - The UN human rights office will deploy a team of investigators to Lebanon next week to assess potential violations of international law by all parties during the current war in the country, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Wednesday.
Background: Lebanon's Involvement in the Middle East Conflict
Hezbollah's Role and Regional Tensions
Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East conflict on March 2 when the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militia fired rockets at Israel in solidarity with Iran, which was under U.S.-Israeli attack, prompting a major Israeli air and ground campaign.
UN's Mission Objectives
"It's the first time that we are sending this assessment mission, and the idea is indeed to look at violations by all parties -- violations of international law, violations of international human rights law, and to document this, and eventually to report back to you on our findings," Turk said.
Humanitarian Impact and Ongoing Crisis
Casualties and Displacement
Death Toll and Displacement Figures
More than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon and more than one million Lebanese are displaced. The U.S. declared a ceasefire on April 16 but fighting has continued, and Lebanon says Israel has carried out nearly 3,500 strikes since the truce was announced.
Food Security Concerns
The crisis is rapidly eroding food security, with nearly one in four people in Lebanon -- about 1.24 million people -- expected to face crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity until August, according to the U.N.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, editing by Linda Pasquini, Editing by William Maclean)
