Israeli conduct in southern Lebanon – including widespread displacement, the destruction of villages and preventing civilians from returning home – could amount to war crimes, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Monday.
His remarks during a visit to Beirut came a day after the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) accused Israel of preventing it from taking full control of designated “pilot zones” implemented last week as part of the US-brokered Lebanon-Israel peace framework.
“The Israeli military continues to kill and injure people in Lebanon amid continued air strikes and ground operations,” despite a ceasefire, Mr Turk said. “My office has recorded large-scale violations of international humanitarian law, some possibly amounting to war crimes.”
Mr Turk's visit comes as Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Lebanon and US-mediated negotiations seek to implement a framework agreement under which Israel would withdraw, Hezbollah would disarm and the Lebanese state would extend its authority across the south.
“Israeli forces continue to occupy significant Lebanese territory in the south and I am concerned that the overall conduct resulting in large-scale displacement and denial of returns could amount to international crimes,” he warned.
An assessment mission deployed by the UN Human Rights Office is already on the ground collecting evidence and investigating alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws committed by all warring parties since March 2.
“I am struck by the widespread damage and compounded suffering that I have seen,” Mr Turk said. “The trauma, the frustration and despair are awful. But so, too, is the demand for justice, which I heard resoundingly.”
On Sunday, the LAF said persisting Israeli attacks were obstructing its deployment and preventing residents from returning to one of the pilot zones established under the framework agreement. Israeli gunfire near Lebanese army deployment points in Kfar Tebnit, Upper Nabatieh and Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh was hampering the execution of the army's missions, the LAF said.
The military accused Israeli forces of continued violations in the south through daily home demolitions, the burning of agricultural land, shelling and gunfire.
“At the same time, the army continues to escort the return of residents to the town of Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh, and carries out its missions in the town to preserve the safety of citizens, and in the areas of Froun and Srifa,” it added.
The Lebanese army last week entered the southern town of Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh after Israeli troops withdrew as part of a trilateral framework agreement reached in US-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel.
The town, along with the nearby villages of Froun and Srifa, form the “pilot zones” for Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of Lebanese troops under the agreement. The process, including the disarmament of Hezbollah in areas taken over by the Lebanese army, is intended to lead to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas of southern Lebanon occupied after the Iran-backed group resumed attacks on Israel in early March, reigniting a conflict that had remained largely dormant since November 2024 despite continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.
The pilot zone implementation was largely seen as a test for whether the trilateral framework signed last month would be feasible. But the initial zones were criticised because no Israeli forces were even present in two of them, Srifa or Froun, and they were stationed only on the outskirts of Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh.
Lebanese troops reported Israeli gunfire as they deployed in Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh last Tuesday. Civilians eager to return to their homes were barred from entering until Friday
More than half the town has been destroyed and many of the homes still standing are badly damaged, according to the mayor, Abed Ezzeddin.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told his cabinet that Israel would resist US pressure to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, according to Israeli media – despite the US-brokered framework aimed at securing an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
Mr Netanyahu departed for Washington on Monday, where he said he would meet US President Donald Trump for their first face-to-face talks since the start of their conflict with Iran.
It will be Mr Netanyahu's eighth meeting with Mr Trump since the US president returned to office, and their first since February, right before Israel and the US launched a joint aerial campaign against Iran.
“Of course, our goal is to protect our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us,” Mr Netanyahu said in a video statement upon departure.
Mr Netanyahu has in recent weeks acknowledged that he and Mr Trump have had some differences, as Israeli and US interests in the region appeared to diverge.
