Israeli airstrikes kill 16 in Lebanon; UN to probe possible war crimes

At least 16 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the city of Tyre and surrounding areas in southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Nine people died in a strike on the village of Tayr Debba, and three were killed in an attack on the town of Deir Qanoun en-Nahr. One more person was killed in an airstrike on Tyre city. Later that day, Israeli fighter jets struck the village of Deir ez-Zahrani, targeting a mosque and a clinic, killing at least three people.

Al Jazeera correspondent Obaida Hitto, reporting from Tyre, said Israel was trying to create the impression that it had given residents enough time to evacuate safely — but that was not the case. “The Geneva Convention requires evacuation routes to be safe, people must have sufficient time, and there must be a return pathway to avoid continuous occupation. Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon do not meet those requirements,” he stressed. He also warned that those attempting to flee Tyre northward faced a high risk of being targeted by drones.

Also on the same day, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk announced that an inquiry team would be deployed to Lebanon next week to assess potential violations of international law by all parties in the current conflict. This is the first time such an assessment mission has been sent. Its task is to review breaches of international law and international humanitarian law, document findings, and report back.

Earlier in May, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized the importance of continuing to document potential crimes and submit them to the United Nations. He said an agreement had been reached for Commissioner Turk to visit Lebanon soon to conduct an investigation.

Lebanon was drawn into the US-Israel war with Iran in March after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel, citing near-daily Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon and the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Lebanese group rejected a conditional ceasefire agreement last week that demanded a “complete cessation” of Hezbollah’s fire but made no mention of halting Israeli attacks. Hezbollah fighters continue to attack Israeli troops who have entered southern Lebanon, including with rockets and drones.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, Israeli attacks across the country since March 2 have killed at least 3,696 people and wounded 11,413. On the Israeli side, the military reported that 29 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in Lebanon.

Iran insists Lebanon must be part of any agreement to end the war with the US-Israel, but prospects for a deal are in doubt after Iran and the US exchanged fire again.

Earlier, the association of border Christian villages in southern Lebanon issued a statement urging the Lebanese government to “immediately open safe humanitarian and medical corridors to ensure that people, aid, and medical and rescue teams can reach affected and isolated villages.”