Lebanon files UN complaint against 'Israel' over deadly pager attacks
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Lebanese Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram describes the Israeli attacks as an "egregious war against humanity, against technology, against work."
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Lebanon Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram gestures during a press conference after filing a complaint to the ILO against "Israel" over the pager and walkie-talkie attacks carried out last September, in Geneva, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
Lebanon announced on Wednesday that it has submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations labor agency concerning lethal Israeli attacks via communication devices across the country in September.
Lebanese Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram described the attacks as an "egregious war against humanity, against technology, against work" and confirmed that Lebanon had lodged the complaint with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva.
Speaking to journalists in the Swiss city at an event hosted by the UN correspondents' association, ACANU, Bayram underscored that the attacks were "a very dangerous precedent."
The complaint comes after "Israel" ramped up its airstrikes on southern Lebanon, Beirut's Southern Suburb, and the eastern Bekaa Valley on September 23, following nearly a year of intermittent fighting with the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah along the Lebanon-occupied Palestine border. A week later, "Israel" announced launching a ground incursion into South Lebanon.
The escalation was triggered by sabotage attacks on pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, resulting in dozens of martyrs and thousands of injuries across Lebanon.
While the Israeli occupation regime has not officially claimed responsibility, Bayram asserted that it is "widely accepted internationally… that Israel was behind this heinous act."
"In a few minutes, more than 4,000 civilians fell, between martyrs and injured and maimed," he pointed out, speaking through a translator. Among the survivors, Bayram noted, many had sustained severe injuries, with some losing fingers and palms and others their eyesight.
"We are in a situation where ordinary objects, objects you use in daily life, become dangerous and lethal," the Lebanese Minister emphasized, warning that "if left unchecked, this crime could become normalized."
He added that filing the complaint was meant "to prevent such crimes from happening in the future," describing it as "a moral obligation to my country and to the world."
Myriad of complaints
When questioned about Lebanon’s decision to take the complaint to the ILO, Bayram explained that many of those affected were using pagers and walkie-talkies for their work when the devices unexpectedly exploded.
"We deemed it necessary to point out that this runs contrary to work environment, security and safety, contrary to decent work principles... defended by the ILO," he indicated.
Bayram further indicated that Lebanese authorities might pursue additional complaints in other international venues, including the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Lebanese government intends to bring forth "a myriad of complaints" against Israeli assaults in Lebanon, as "the amount of crimes is huge," he noted.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, over 3,000 people have been killed since the start of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon in October last year, with at least 1,964 of them since September 23.
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