Israel’s bombing of Lebanon is a serious violation of the territory of a sovereign state, and a grave violation of international law. The international community cannot afford to remain indifferent.

Israel hit central Beirut on Thursday, reportedly killing 22 civilians and injuring over 117 more, in the deadliest attack on the city centre since the war against Lebanon began. The strikes hit a densely packed residential neighbourhood of apartment buildings and small shops in the heart of the Lebanese capital. Israel had not previously struck the area, which is removed from Beirut’s southern suburbs where Hezbollah’s headquarters have been repeatedly bombed over the past weeks.

Israel launched ground incursions into southern Lebanon on September 30, where 10,400 peacekeepers are deployed under the command of a Spanish general. According to official Lebanese figures, nearly 2 000 people have been killed in Lebanon since October 2023, including more than a thousand since the start of Israeli strikes in the south and east of its territory, as well as in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The IDF is breaching the blue line constantly.

A senior UN official has told the UN Security Council that the safety of 10 400 UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon is ‘increasingly in jeopardy’ with Israeli forces having deliberately fired on their positions. South Africa underscores that attacks on peacekeepers are “a grave violation of international humanitarian law”.

Israel continues to violate international humanitarian law with impunity in Gaza.

It is imperative that the international community and the UN Security Council be consistent with the defence of international law and international humanitarian law.

South Africa calls for an immediate end to the bombing campaign as the longer the war continues, the higher the risk that the region will descend into a major military conflagration, presenting a grave threat to international peace and security.