Civilian casualties in Lebanon show ‘blatant disregard’ for international law: Irish premier

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The Irish prime minister has expressed concern over Monday's Israeli strikes in Lebanon, saying that civilian casualties show "a blatant disregard" for international law.

In an interview with CNN on Monday, Simon Harris said that Israeli attacks in Lebanon has caused an "extraordinarily dangerous" situation which can be effectively the opening of a potentially catastrophic second front in terms of the war in the Middle East.

"We're also seeing civilians being targeted again. We're not seeing a targeted response to terrorism here," he said, referring to the number of children among those killed.

Israel launched deadly airstrikes on Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 558 people, including 50 children and 95 women, and injuring 1,645 others, while thousands of people have fled their homes, according to the Lebanese health minister.

"So, the pattern, unfortunately, of flouting international law and disregard for rules of engagement in terms of protecting civilians is yet again, being completely and utterly disregarded," added Harris.

Stating that Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon are safe, the Irish leader, however, said that he is concerned about civilians who do not have the ability to defend and protect themselves.

"We should be here at the United Nations this week talking about de-escalation, and instead, we're going to be meeting at a UN General Assembly against the backdrop of escalation," he added.

Harris said that Israel has a right to live in security and safety and "has a right to address any terrorist attack that it experiences," but added: "That is not what we're seeing today."
"What we're actually seeing is a blatant disregard for international law, no consideration in terms of protection of civilians and, yet again, children finding themselves caught up in the midst of conflict."

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, the majority of whom are women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

Israeli forces intensified their attacks on Lebanon, ignoring the international community's warnings that they would risk spreading the Gaza conflict to other regions.

- 'We know what it's like to struggle for statehood'

On the situation in Gaza, Harris stressed that Ireland knows "what it's like to struggle for statehood."

"We felt it was very important, at a time when others were trying to quash any glimmer of a two-state solution to actually say to the people of Palestine, we see you. We see you. We hear you. We will not forget you."

Harris said that they can differentiate "very clearly" between Hamas and the people of Palestine, adding that they want to see two states, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully side by side.

"We're not a military power, but we do have an ability, I believe, on the international stage, to actually say, 'No, hang on a second. If you believe in a two-state solution, the recognition of the existence of two states is an important place to start," he said.

He said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has calculated that he can continue in terms of the violence, in terms of the brutality, in terms of the loss of civilian life," and asked the world to "dig deep to say what levers are at the disposal of the world to change that calculation."