Human Rights Watch: Hezbollah Violated Laws of War

Human Rights Watch has published a new report that argues Hezbollah, the Shi'ite militia based out of Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, intentionally and indiscriminately fired rockets into civilian portions of northern Israel during last summer's war with Israel. At least 39 Israeli civilians were killed by the rocket attacks, the report says. The report, which is just over 100 pages long, was released in late August 2007.

In "Civilians Under Assault: Hezbollah's Rocket Attacks on Israel in the 2006 War" Human Rights Watch says that Hezbollah's reason for attacking innocent civilians, in retaliation for indiscriminate Israeli attacks into the southern portions of Lebanon, did not withstand scrutiny under internationally recognized laws of war.

The new report draws on nearly two dozen case studies involving research efforts into the rocket attacks conducted by Hezbollah. Additionally, Human Rights Watch says, evidence for the report was taken from available Hezbollah documents pertaining to the war. According to Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division director, Sarah Leah Whitson, "Hezbollah's explanations for why it fired rockets at Israel's civilian population utterly fail to justify these unlawful attacks." Human Rights Watch even goes so far as to say that Hezbollah's actions against civilians during the 2006 war with Israel amount to war crimes under international law.

In addition to the 39 confirmed deaths from the rocket attacks, Human Rights Watch says, moderate or serious injuries were suffered by more than 100 other civilians. According to the report, rocket fire from Hezbollah hit three hospitals, an elementary school, and a post office. The attacks used long-range, unguided rockets that, according to Human Rights Watch, "...showed, at minimum, a reckless disregard for civilians, and frequently hit civilians and civilian objects deliberately or indiscriminately."

In previous reports Human Rights Watch has documented allegations of wartime violations by Israel as well. As part of the report, Human Rights Watch calls on Hezbollah to stop the deliberate targeting of civilians and to abandon the argument that attacks on civilians in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanese civilians are justifiable.

Human Rights Watch also urges the Lebanese government to stop the flow of rockets to Hezbollah until they demonstrate that they no longer deliberately or indiscriminately target civilians. Syria and Iran do not escape scrutiny in the report either, as Human Rights Watch calls on both nations to stop the transfer of materiel to Hezbollah that violates international humanitarian law.

Source: Human Rights Watch Web Site