A group of the United Nations (UN) human rights experts has called on countries to immediately halt arms transfers to Israel, citing alleged violations of a recently declared two-week truce in the Middle East.
The 19-member group, comprising special rapporteurs and independent experts, made the appeal in a statement, stressing that continued weapons supply risks enabling breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law.
The experts accused Israel of undermining the ceasefire framework, pointing to a wave of attacks on Beirut last week that reportedly left more than 350 people dead, including at least 30 children. The strikes followed the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran by former US President Donald Trump.
In a separate incident, fresh Israeli strikes were said to have killed at least 16 people in Lebanon, further escalating tensions.
Describing the attacks as a “blatant violation” of the UN Charter, the experts argued that the operations bore no link to legitimate self-defence and instead represented “an affront to multilateralism and the UN-based international order.”
They urged Israel to “immediately cease all military operations in Lebanon, comply with the ceasefire framework and Security Council Resolution 1701, withdraw its forces, enable the safe return of displaced persons, and engage in direct negotiations with Lebanon.”
The experts also called on the United States to use “its influence to ensure Israel halts strikes on Lebanese civilians and infrastructure without delay.”
However, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has maintained that the ceasefire arrangement does not extend to Lebanon.
Ahead of the strikes, the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings to residents in southern Lebanon, particularly in the city of Tyre, directing them to relocate north of the Zahrani River.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has insisted that the ceasefire it helped broker between the US and Iran included provisions requiring Israel to halt its military operations in Lebanon, highlighting growing disagreements over the scope and enforcement of the truce
