Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has condemned home demolitions by Israel in southern Lebanon during a meeting with UN rights chief Volker Turk, as Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reaffirmed his government’s support for collecting evidence of war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law.
“Israel’s continued destruction of homes and bulldozing of villages in the south constitutes a direct violation of human rights and a clear breach of international laws and norms, which necessitates international action to end it,” Aoun said during the meeting in Beirut on Monday, as cited by a presidency statement.
“Israel also targeted religious and heritage sites, and this shows premeditated intentions against people and stones, especially since such places are not military sites and do not witness an armed presence in them,” he added.
Aoun reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to implementing last month’s US-mediated framework agreement with Israel.
“The Israeli practices will affect the deal’s effectiveness, and we will not accept the continued violation of its terms,” he warned.
Turk, for his part, said his office is following developments in Lebanon, particularly the continued Israeli attacks since March 2, in preparation for a detailed report on human rights violations.
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Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Salam reaffirmed his government’s support for the continued collection and documentation of evidence related to war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law.
