UN human rights office accuses Israel of war crimes in Lebanon

GENEVA - The U.N.'s human rights office says it has identified evidence of Israeli war crimes in Lebanon.

The Geneva-based body - formally known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - has documented killings of medical staff and journalists, spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said on Friday.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military reportedly obstructed paramedics from providing assistance after a journalist was killed and a photographer injured in an attack.

"Medical personnel, whether military or civilian, and other civilians, including journalists, are protected under international humanitarian law," said Al-Kheetan. "Deliberately targeting them would amount to a war crime."

In a report, the office presented evidence gathered during the first three weeks of renewed warfare in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, which followed the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Tehran on February 28.

A ceasefire has been in place for several days in Lebanon, with U.S. President Donald Trump announcing a three-week extension late on Thursday. However, attacks have continued.

"Our analysis of the large-scale attacks, shelling and ground incursions found that operations by Israeli forces in Lebanon involved cases of direct attacks on civilians, including medical personnel," Al-Kheetan said.

The destruction of multi-story residential buildings could constitute a serious violation of international law, as could the displacement of more than 1 million people, he said. The same applies to Hezbollah's rocket attacks in northern Israel.

Israel has accused Hezbollah of misusing ambulances and medical teams as cover to transport weapons and fighters. It also denies targeting journalists, claiming that reporters it has killed were members of the militia.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 6:33 AM.