Israel hits UN base in Lebanon as war expels 1 million

The United Nations warned this Tuesday (17) that Israeli attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Lebanon could constitute war crimes, amid the military escalation that has left hundreds dead and around 1 million displaced since the beginning of March.

The alert was issued by the UN Human Rights Office, which highlighted the destruction of housing, health units and other civilian structures, in addition to reiterating that international humanitarian law requires a distinction between military and civilian targets.

The office stated that “deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon may constitute war crimes” and classified as “totally unacceptable” statements by Israeli authorities that threaten to inflict destruction on the country on a scale similar to that seen in Gaza.

On Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning (18), Israel carried out one of the most intense bombings in decades in the center of Beirut, destroying residential buildings in densely populated areas and leaving at least 10 people dead, according to Lebanese authorities. A ten-story building was reduced to rubble, in attacks that hit neighborhoods close to the government headquarters and marked the expansion of the offensive to central regions of the capital.

The bombings took place over hours and, in some cases, without prior warning to the population, while other regions of the country were also affected.

The military escalation follows the intensification of clashes since March 2, when Hezbollah retaliated against the war of aggression initiated by the United States and Israel against Iran. The Arab resistance’s retaliation includes the launch of rockets, drones and artillery.

Since then, more than 900 people have died in Lebanon, including children and women, and thousands have been injured, according to official figures.

The Israeli offensive has caused mass displacement of the population, with families forced to abandon their homes and seek shelter in schools, makeshift tents or overcrowded areas, in a scenario of deteriorating living conditions and limited access to basic services.

The leader of the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) in the Chamber, Jandira Feghali, expressed solidarity with the Lebanese people and condemned the military offensive.

“I would like to show solidarity with the Lebanese people. My father was Lebanese, Feghali is a Lebanese name, and it is very painful to see Lebanon being blown up once again,” he said.

The parliamentarian classified the war as the result of an “imperialist, Zionist alliance, whose sole intention is to dominate the Middle East in favor of North American policy” and criticized the lack of international reaction to the deaths of civilians.

“We can no longer accept that civilians die in the center of Beirut, in the capital of Lebanon, without any reaction, without any solidarity from us”, he protested.

She also linked the escalation to the regional conflict involving Iran and stated that there is resistance to the offensive.

“So I want to once again repudiate this war, which started by imploding Iran to try to reduce resistance in the Middle East to North American policy, but is being resisted,” he said.

Also on Tuesday (17), the Israeli Army acknowledged that tank fire hit a UN peacekeeping mission position in southern Lebanon on March 6, injuring Ghanaian soldiers.

According to the Israeli version, the troops were responding to Hezbollah anti-tank missile fire and confused the UNIFIL position with the origin of the attack. Israel said it had apologized to the United Nations and the Ghanaian government.