Weaponizing ordinary devices violates international law, United Nations rights chief says

[Pelican Press 0]

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Weaponizing ordinary devices violates international law, ******* Nations rights chief says

******* NATIONS (AP) — Weaponizing ordinary communication devices represents a new development in warfare, and targeting thousands of Lebanese people using pagers, two-way radios and electronic equipment without their knowledge is a violation of international human rights law, the ******* Nations human rights chief said Friday.

Volker Türk told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council there must be an independent and transparent investigation of the

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on Tuesday and Wednesday where these devices exploded, reportedly ******** 37 people and injuring more than 3,400 others.

“Those who ordered and carried out these attacks must be held to account,” he said.

Lebanon has blamed ******* for the attacks, which appeared to

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but also saw many civilian casualties, including children.

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, including a war in 2006, and it has conducted near-daily strikes against ******* to support ****** militants who attacked ******* on Oct. 7.

Before the council meeting, *******’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon was asked by reporters about speculation ******* was behind the two explosions.

“We are not commenting on the specific attacks you mentioned, but I can tell you that we will do everything we can to target those terrorists to minimize casualties for civilians,” he replied.

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib accused ******* of

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on streets, in markets, shops and their homes where their communications devices exploded.

He held up a photo of a mangled and bloodied hand, telling ambassadors from the 15 council nations: “Look at the ugliness of what has happened in this picture.”

Bouhabib insisted that ******* not only launched the attacks but told the council there were “official declarations” and a tweet by an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “that was lately deleted, emphasizing the responsibility of ******* and praising the positive results of this ********.”

He appeared to be referring to a deleted tweet by Netanyahu adviser Topaz Luke, who reportedly retweeted a post that included a reply indicating that ******* was behind the attacks in Lebanon and neighboring Syria.

*******’s Danon criticized the Lebanese minister for never mentioning Hezbollah and said the Lebanese people are “trapped in the grip of this ********** organization.”

Lebanon’s Bouhabib warned the council that if it doesn’t condemn the week’s deadly explosions and name ******* as the perpetrator, a “Pandora’s Box” will be opened, and governments and extremists will target, terrorize and ***** civilians with similar communications devices on trains, planes and elsewhere.

Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said the explosions not only

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but also appear to violate international humanitarian law’s key principles in carrying out attacks: distinction between civilians and combatants, proportionality, and precautions.

International law also prohibits the use of ******-trap devices that look harmless, he said, and “it is a war ****** to commit ********* intended to spread ******* among civilians.”

“Let me be clear — this method of warfare may be new and unfamiliar,” Türk said, “but international humanitarian and human rights law apply regardless and must be upheld.”

*******’s Danon blamed Iran and its “puppet”

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for the military action across the Lebanon-******* border.

“While ******* is not seeking a wider conflict, let me be clear: We will not allow Hezbollah to continue its provocations,” he said. ******* will do “whatever it takes” to return its 60,000 citizens who fled their homes in the north because of attacks, “and we will not allow Hezbollah’s ******* to dictate the future of our nation.”

Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani countered that “******* bears full responsibility for the perpetration of such horrific *******,” and said his government will pursue accountability for the

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to Lebanon, whose eyes were injured in the explosions Tuesday.

He said the gravity of the attacks against the Lebanese people must also be seen as “a threat to peace and security across the region.” He added that “the international community must not ignore the role the Western countries, in particular the ******* States and U.K., play in enabling *******’s aggressions.”

U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo warned the council that the explosions along with more than 11 months of bloodshed in Gaza, and near-daily exchanges of ***** across the *******-Lebanon border, pose a grave risk to security and stability in the region.

She urged all actors to exercise maximum restraint, and she strongly urged countries with influence on the parties “to leverage it now.”

Earlier, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric urged ******* and Hezbollah to immediately return to the cessation of hostilities that existed before ******’ Oct. 7 attacks in southern ******* and *******’s responding military campaign in Gaza, warning that “the region is on the brink of a catastrophe” and a diplomatic solution should be pursued urgently.

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#Weaponizing #ordinary #devices #violates #international #law #******* #Nations #rights #chief

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