“Similar tactics to those used in Gaza are playing out in Lebanon: evacuation orders followed shortly thereafter by the wholesale destruction of entire apartment blocks, dozens of medics and first responders killed, Israeli soldiers looting the homes of civilians, infrastructure – including bridges connecting the south to the rest of the country – decimated”

“Israel’s operations in Lebanon continue, worse will follow. As in Gaza and the West Bank, there is a real possibility that land now occupied by Israeli forces in Lebanon won’t ever be returned, but instead slowly settled and annexed”

“Germany, an almost unconditional backer of Israel, has decided it can’t defend the country at the ICJ; last month, it formally withdrew its support for the Israeli side in the case”

“Lebanon almost gave the court jurisdiction over the country. The Council of Ministers instructed the foreign minister to declare that the ICC could exercise jurisdiction from October 7, 2023”

“That move followed Israel’s killing of journalist Issam Abdallah and reports detailing Israel’s use of white phosphorus against civilians – a war crime”

“In May 2024, the Lebanese government backtracked. No reason was given, but the foreign minister never issued a declaration accepting the ICC’s jurisdiction”

“The ICC can offer a modicum of accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Lebanon”