Lebanon Accuses Israel of “War Against Humanity” in ILO Complaint Over Deadly Pager Explosions
Lebanon has formally accused Israel of a “war against humanity” in a complaint filed with the International Labour Organization (ILO) over a series of deadly attacks involving exploding pagers in September, Al Jazeera reports.
The complaint, filed by Lebanese Labour Minister Mustafa Bayram at UN headquarters in Geneva, alleges that the attacks, which targeted pagers used by Hezbollah, constituted a grave violation of international law and worker safety.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Bayram described the incident as “an egregious war against humanity, against technology, against work.” He stressed that the attacks, which resulted in both fatalities and injuries among civilians, set a “dangerous precedent” if not condemned.
“We are in a situation where ordinary objects – objects used in daily life – become dangerous and lethal,” Bayram said, referring to the pagers that were seemingly targeted due to their use by Hezbollah.
While Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attacks, Bayram said that it is “widely accepted internationally… that Israel was behind this heinous act.” He also revealed that the casualty count from the September 23 incident was even higher than initially reported, with “more than 4,000 civilians falling – between martyrs and injured and maimed – in a few minutes by this attack.”
This complaint comes amid escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon, which have been engaged in a conflict since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. Following the pager attack, Israel intensified its campaign against Lebanon, launching a ground operation in the south and carrying out heavy air strikes across the country, including Beirut’s southern suburbs and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
The conflict has already resulted in devastating loss of life and displacement. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reports over 3,000 fatalities and 13,492 injuries, with more than a million people displaced due to Israel’s attacks.
Wednesday’s latest attacks saw Israeli strikes killing at least 30 people in Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley and further strikes targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs.
