The United Nations (UN) special rapporteurs have denounced the killing of Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of the political bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas, as an extrajudicial execution. The statement was issued on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"UN experts condemned the alleged Israeli killings of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri and six other people last week in Lebanon, which can be equated to extrajudicial executions," according to the document. The rapporteurs argue that Israel's actions cannot be justified as self-defense, as there was no evidence that the victims committed an armed attack against Israel from Lebanese territory. Furthermore, Israel failed to provide legal justification for the strike and neglected to report it to the Security Council, as mandated by Article 51 of the UN Charter. The UN special rapporteurs assert that Israel's actions represent a dangerous regional escalation of the Gaza conflict and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.
The experts emphasized the global prohibition against arbitrarily depriving people of their right to life during military operations abroad, including counterterrorism efforts. Additionally, they underscored Lebanon's obligation to prevent the use of its territory for preparing terrorist acts against Israeli civilians and urged the country to investigate, arrest, prosecute, or extradite suspected terrorists.
The statement was signed by Ben Saul, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism, and Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions.
The incident occurred on January 2 when an Israeli Air Force missile struck Hamas headquarters on the southern outskirts of Beirut, resulting in the death of al-Arouri and six others, with 11 individuals sustaining injuries during the attack.
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Based on materials from TASS