BEIRUT, 04 August. - (ANA) - As Israeli forces continue demolishing homes and carrying out military operations across occupied parts of southern Lebanon despite a US-brokered framework, the Lebanese government has moved to reassure the public that efforts to hold Israel accountable for alleged war crimes have not been abandoned, outlining the legal avenues still available to victims and the state alike.

 

The clarification comes ahead of a seventh round of US-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel in Rome beginning on Tuesday, where negotiators will seek to advance the implementation of the June framework agreement even as Israeli strikes, demolitions and incursions continue to undermine the process.

 

In a series of posts on X on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri rejected claims that the agreement had stripped Lebanon of its ability to pursue legal action against Israel.

 

He said Israeli war crimes were being documented by the National Committee for International Humanitarian Law and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, with reports based on testimonies and evidence provided by Lebanese citizens to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

"Individual Lebanese citizens, however, have the right to bring cases against Israel before European courts, and some have already begun exercising that right," he wrote.

 

Mitri explained that while Lebanon cannot bring a case before the International Criminal Court because it is not a party to the Rome Statute, it could accept the court's jurisdiction for a limited period if it chose to do so.

 

He also said the government had already established mechanisms to document alleged Israeli violations for use in international forums.

 

"Documenting Israeli crimes against Lebanon and the Lebanese people is a serious undertaking. It is being carried out by two bodies: the National Committee for International Humanitarian Law and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which effectively serves as a fact-finding body, as is known in international forums," he wrote in another post.

 

"Their reports are submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Lebanese documentation, which establishes the facts and supports them with legal arguments, is available to all and draws on testimony and evidence provided by Lebanese citizens," he added.

 

The comments followed weeks of criticism over clause 13 of the US-sponsored framework agreement signed by Lebanon and Israel on 26 June, which commits both sides to refrain from pursuing "hostile or adverse actions" against one another in international political and legal forums while negotiations are underway.

 

The provision prompted accusations that Beirut had agreed to suspend legal action against Israel despite months of air strikes, occupation and widespread destruction across southern Lebanon.

 

Lebanese officials have since insisted that any pause in state-level legal proceedings is temporary, applies only for the duration of negotiations and does not prevent private citizens from pursuing cases in foreign courts.

 

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has also maintained that the provision does not amount to a permanent waiver of Lebanon's legal rights, describing it instead as a confidence-building measure intended to facilitate negotiations.

 

 

 

 

Legal experts argue the government needs to go further by adopting a comprehensive strategy to pursue accountability for alleged Israeli war crimes.

 

"We are asking the government to establish a comprehensive legal strategy to ensure accountability for Israeli war crimes," Ghida Frangieh, a leading researcher and lawyer at the Lebanese NGO Legal Agenda, told The New Arab.

 

Frangieh said such a strategy should focus on improving documentation, strengthening judicial investigations, and adopting a legal framework for prosecuting war crimes.

 

She said the National Committee headed by Mitri had significantly improved documentation efforts in its latest report. However, she argued it required greater government resources and technical expertise to establish a national documentation centre capable of centralising evidence collection and preserving forensic evidence, as well as victims' and witnesses' testimonies.

 

She also called for Lebanon to adopt dedicated war crimes legislation.

 

"A law on war crimes should be adopted in order to establish a legal framework to support documentation and investigations efforts. MPs Halimeh Kaakour and Michel Moussa submitted a draft law to this end, the Government and Parliament should start discussing it," Frangieh says.

 

Frangieh said the UN Human Rights Office had begun documenting alleged violations of international humanitarian law, but its mandate is limited in time and does not cover violations committed before 2 March, when fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed after the collapse of the November 2024 ceasefire.

 

As Lebanon is not party to the Rome Statute, Frangieh said accepting the ICC's jurisdiction remained a priority to open pathways for accountability. She argued that while some victims may be able to pursue cases before European courts, those avenues remain limited and inaccessible for many, making ICC jurisdiction the most effective international mechanism.

 

"The ICC was established for situations where countries are unable or unwilling to ensure justice for serious crimes as is the case of Lebanon," she said.

 

Frangieh also criticised the Trump administration's campaign against the ICC, arguing Lebanon should join the more than 120 countries that are party to the Rome Statute.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

 

The debate comes as Lebanon prepares for another round of negotiations with Israel in Rome, where political and military delegations will spend three days attempting to move forward with the framework agreement and discuss other pressing issues.

 

Violence has significantly eased since the June agreement, but Israel continues to occupy large parts of southern Lebanon and carry out near-daily military operations inside the security zone along the border.

 

Since fighting resumed in March, Israeli attacks have killed more than 4,300 people in Lebanon, many of them civilians.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/04 August 2026 - - -