BEIRUT, Lebanon: Amnesty International said Tuesday that the Israeli army’s extensive destruction of civilian property in south Lebanon, including after a ceasefire with Hezbollah was struck, should be investigated as a war crime.
The November 27 truce largely ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that culminated in two months of open war during which Israel sent in ground troops and conducted a major bombing campaign.
“The Israeli military’s extensive and deliberate destruction of civilian property and agricultural land across southern Lebanon must be investigated as war crimes,” Amnesty said in a statement.
The rights group’s Erika Guevara Rosas said in the statement that the destruction had “rendered entire areas uninhabitable and ruined countless lives.”
Israel has said its military action targeted Hezbollah sites and operatives, and it continues to strike Lebanon despite the ceasefire.
