Israel’s killing of Hamas politburo deputy head Saleh al-Arouri in a drone strike in Lebanon is an extrajudicial execution and a violation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity, the UN special rapporteurs said in a statement issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
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“UN experts have condemned Israel’s alleged killings of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri and six others last week in Lebanon, which would amount to extrajudicial executions and murder,” the document said.
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The special rapporteurs noted that Israel did not provide any legal justification for the strike and did not report it to the Security Council, as required by Article 51 of the UN Charter.
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“Israel has a deplorable history of killing suspected terrorists abroad, such as the killing of a Hamas member in the UAE in 2010 and hundreds of preemptive strikes against Hezbollah during the Syrian civil war. Israeli police and courts must bring to justice all those involved in these alleged murders,” the statement quoted experts as saying.
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They also believe that this latest strike represents a “dangerous regional escalation” of the conflict in Gaza, a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the prohibited use of military force against Lebanese territory contrary to Article 2 of the UN Charter.
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“All States are prohibited from arbitrarily depriving individuals of their right to life during military or security operations abroad, including in the fight against terrorism. Killings on foreign soil are arbitrary unless sanctioned by international law. Israel was not exercising self-defense , since he did not provide any evidence that the victims carried out an armed attack on Israel from Lebanese territory,” the special rapporteurs considered.
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The document was signed by the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Ben Saul, and the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Bintz.
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Last week, Lebanon’s national agency NNA reported that an Israeli drone attacked the office of the Palestinian Hamas movement in South Beirut, killing six people. According to the Lebanese TV channel Al Mayadeen, the deputy head of the Hamas politburo, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed. His death, as well as the death of two other commanders of the military wing of Hamas al-Qassam Brigades and three ordinary fighters, was confirmed by the head of the Hamas Politburo, Ismail Haniyeh. Israeli media reported that the commander of Hamas operations in southern Lebanon was killed in the Beirut explosion. Hezbollah has threatened Israel with retaliation and punishment for the killing of Saleh al-Arouri and two commanders of the military wing of the al-Qassam Brigades.
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The situation in southern Lebanon worsened after the start of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army and Hezbollah fighters daily fire at each other’s positions in areas along the border.
