HRW exposes two Israeli war crimes in Lebanon
Shafaq News/ Two Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese town of Younine in late 2024 killed 33 civilians, including 15 children, in apparent violations of international humanitarian law, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released on Wednesday.
HRW pointed out it had found no evidence of military targets at the sites of the September 25 and November 1 strikes, which destroyed residential buildings and killed entire families. The organization classified the attacks as indiscriminate and called for investigations into possible war crimes.
Weapon remnants recovered at the strike locations included US-made Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits, according to HRW arms researchers.
The organization emphasized that Israeli forces provided no prior warning to civilians in the targeted areas, adding, “More and more evidence is emerging that Israeli forces repeatedly failed to protect civilians or adequately distinguish civilians from military targets during its strikes across Lebanon in 2023 and 2024.”
HRW also criticized Lebanon’s caretaker cabinet for revoking its previous decision to grant the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction over crimes committed in Lebanon since October 7, 2023. “Instead of supporting accountability efforts, Lebanon’s caretaker cabinet took a step backward by reversing this critical decision,” the report read.
Between October 2023 and December 2024, Israeli military operations in Lebanon killed more than 4,000 people and displaced over one million. Additionally, at least 146 more people have reportedly been killed by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire agreement in late November.
The organization further urged countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany to suspend arms transfers to Israel, alleging complicity in the “unlawful killing of civilians”.
NEW: Two unlawful Israeli strikes on the Lebanese town of Younine between Sept. and Nov. 2024 were apparent indiscriminate attacks on civilians.At least one of the attacks used an air-dropped bomb equipped with a United States-produced JDAM guidance kit.https://t.co/XwqQxFXzgr pic.twitter.com/iSmPpGC3ah
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) April 23, 2025
The Israeli military has not responded to HRW's findings.
