Govt calls for ‘immediate end’ to Israel bombing of Lebanon
The South African government says the international community can no longer afford to remain indifferent as Israel continues its bombing, this time in Lebanon.
It described the recent strikes there as a serious violation of the territory of a sovereign state, and a grave violation of international law.
Israel says it's targeting Hezbollah strongholds in the south.
The Lebanese Red Cross says 18 people were killed in a strike on a residential building in a village in northern Lebanon.
The health ministry and the media there are reporting an Israeli raid on Aito, an area said to be far from Hezbollah positions.
On Thursday, 22 civilians were killed and more than 100 wounded in an attack in Beirut.
International Relations spokesperson Chrispin Phiri says the South African government is calling for an immediate end to the bombing campaign.
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"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 are ‘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”.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said their strike would not stop until they've completed their missions against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel says the objective of its offensive in Lebanon is the return of tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes in northern Israel.
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