BEIRUT, July 9, (v7n) – Amnesty International on Thursday accused Israel of wiping out families in its strikes on Lebanon during the war with Hezbollah, calling for these attacks to be investigated as war crimes.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the broader Middle East conflict on March 2 by launching rockets at Israel in support of its backer Iran. Israel responded with major airstrikes and a ground invasion, killing more than 4,300 people—including over 250 children—according to Lebanese authorities.

Amnesty analysed three strikes on civilian homes between March 6 and 13, in which 24 civilians were killed, 12 of them children. The London-based rights group accused Israel of "wiping out families" in those strikes and called for them to be treated as war crimes.

The group said it reached out to Israeli authorities, who responded that some attacks "were carried out against Hezbollah military objectives," while others were "referred for examination." The authorities told Amnesty they were "committed to mitigating harm to civilians during operational activity." However, Amnesty added: "Despite follow up, the Israeli military did not provide specific information regarding the three attacks... including what the targets may have been."

The findings were based on interviews with 15 people, including survivors, relatives, paramedics, journalists, and local officials. The report concluded: "Based on the evidence gathered, in each of these air strikes, Amnesty International has reasonable basis to conclude that Israeli forces violated international humanitarian law, including by failing to distinguish between civilians and military objectives, by carrying out attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects, or by failing to take all feasible precautions to minimise harm to civilians."

Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: "Within the space of just a week—the Israeli military obliterated entire families, including a dozen children, in Lebanon, demonstrating a callous disregard for civilian lives." She added: "States must impose an immediate comprehensive arms embargo on Israel and use universal and extraterritorial jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute those responsible."

Last month, Lebanon and Israel concluded a US-backed framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a permanent end to hostilities, following a US-Iran memorandum of understanding that included a ceasefire in Lebanon. Despite this, Israel continues to carry out intermittent—and sometimes deadly—strikes on southern Lebanon.

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