{"id":314557,"date":"2026-03-30T12:00:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T11:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=314557"},"modified":"2026-03-30T09:37:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T08:37:17","slug":"genocide-warning-lebanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2026\/03\/genocide-warning-lebanon\/","title":{"rendered":"Genocide Warning: Lebanon"},"content":{"rendered":"

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25 Mar 2026\u00a0<\/em>– Since October 7, 2023, Hezbollah has launched over 10,000 attacks against Israel, including nightly missile and rocket bombardments. Many northern Israeli cities, including Haifa, have been hit. Israeli towns near the Lebanese border have been evacuated. Since October 7, over 22 Israelis have died in Hezbollah missile and drone attacks and 16 in Iranian strikes.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Israel has launched strikes on Hezbollah leaders in Beirut and southern Lebanon. According to the Lebanese health ministry, since March 2, 2026, 400 Lebanese civilians have been killed by Israeli bombing. On March 7, 2026, 41 people were killed by Israeli forces in the town of Nabi Sheet<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Israel launched two major invasions of Lebanon in 1978 and 1982. In 1978, Israel withdrew in compliance with UNSC Resolution 425, leaving control to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the South Lebanon Army (SLA). In 1982, Israel occupied southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut. It partially withdrew in 1985, but occupied much of southern Lebanon until 2000.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Since 1977, over 4000 people in Lebanon <\/a>have been killed by Israel.\u00a0In the 2006 Lebanon War, over 1,100 Lebanese civilians were killed due to Israeli airstrikes and ground operations. Since 2023, over 3,000 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli attacks. In 2024, Israeli airstrikes killed 492 people, including women, children, and paramedics.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hezbollah\u2019s civil wars against the government of Lebanon resulted in its control of most of southern Lebanon. In 2026, Israel ordered the evacuation<\/a>\u00a0of the entire area south of the Litani river in southern Lebanon, including 100 villages and towns<\/a>. The result has been the forced displacement of 700,000 civilians, including 200,000 children<\/a>. Under international law, civilians do not lose their protected status<\/a>\u00a0if they do not or cannot comply with evacuation orders.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A ceasefire deal<\/a>\u00a0with Lebanon in November 2024 committed the Lebanese government to overseeing Hezbollah\u2019s withdrawal from south of the Litani River. But Lebanon was unable to force Hezbollah to disarm and evacuate.\u00a0Since the 2024 ceasefire, Israel has maintained control of much of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah and Israel have violated the ceasefire<\/a>\u00a0agreement over\u00a010,000 times<\/a>. Hezbollah continues to launch missile attacks into Israel. Israel continues its bombing and its invasion of Lebanon.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Although Israel may claim self-defense as justification for its war against Hezbollah, it has routinely violated humanitarian law in its conduct of the war. Israel has struck hotels<\/a>\u00a0where displaced people were taking refuge. Israel has bombed Lebanese medical teams and facilities, a violation of Article 24 of the First<\/a>\u00a0and Article 20 of the Fourth<\/a>\u00a0Geneva Conventions. Human Rights Watch has verified that Israel has used white phosphorus in its attacks on residential areas<\/a>, a war crime under\u00a0Protocol III<\/a>\u00a0of the Convention on Conventional Weapons to which Lebanon, but not Israel, is a State-Party.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threatened that Beirut\u2019s Dahiya district will soon \u201clook like Khan Younis<\/a>,\u201d a city in Gaza that Israeli bombing almost totally destroyed. This was a declaration of genocidal intent by an Israeli cabinet minister. Hezbollah\u2019s genocidal intent to destroy Israel remains its open policy.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Genocide Watch<\/strong>\u00a0considers these early warning signs of genocide to include Stage 1 Classification, Stage 4 Dehumanization, Stage 5 Organization, Stage 7 Preparation, Stage 8 Persecution, and Stage 10 Denial.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Genocide Watch recommends that:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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