LEBANON’S FOREIGN MINISTRY SUBMITS COMPLAINT TO SECURITY COUNCIL OVER ISRAEL’S ATTACKS ON AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants on Friday said, in a statement, in response to a question regarding Israel's attacks on the agricultural sector, farmers and herders in the border villages, that 'on July 3, 2024, it [the Ministry] submitted, through Lebanon's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, a complaint before the U.N. Security Council in this regard.' The complaint included official statistics on the number of fires resulting from Israel's use of white phosphorus, totaling 683 fires, and the area of ??fully burned lands that exceeded 2,100 dunams over the period extending from October 8, 2023, until mid-March of this year, in addition to the area of ??damaged forests and agricultural lands, which reached 6000 dunams. The complaint noted that 'these systematic attacks are a flagrant violation of Article 55 of the First Additional Protocol (1977) of the Geneva Conventions (1949), which stipulates that 'during combat, attentiveness should be taken to protect the natural environment against severe, widespread and long-term damage.' Accordingly, Lebanon called on the UN Security Council to condemn Israel for its direct, deliberate and repeated targeting of civilians and the natural environment in Lebanon, and to ensure that it does not escape punishment for these crimes, "because the absence of condemnation would allow Israel to continue its aggression without any deterrence." Source: National news agency - Lebanon