Israel’s operations against Hezbollah have been criticized as violating “international humanitarian law” (IHL). More on this charge can be found here: “The Myth of Collective Punishment in Lebanon,” by Joel M. Margolis, Algemeiner, May 27, 2026:
Some Middle East observers are so eager to defame Israel that they misapply international law.
The Lebanon-based terrorist organization Hezbollah launched its latest war on Israel on October 8, 2023 — one day after Hamas’s October 7 invasion of Israel. To defend against the attack, Israel sent war planes and ground troops into Lebanon.
In March 2026, after two and a half years of inconclusive skirmishes, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intensified its ground operation. The IDF ordered the evacuation of more than a million Lebanese civilians from a certain “security zone” in southern Lebanon, and bulldozed local Hezbollah outposts, including some that were embedded in homes, schools, and hospitals.
Various public figures condemned the enlarged IDF campaign in southern Lebanon as a “collective punishment” under international humanitarian law, otherwise known as “IHL.”
Among those who hurled the IHL accusation were the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, the government of Turkey, the human rights organization Amnesty International, the French news network France 24, and many more.
In reality, the IDF mission bears no resemblance to collective punishment.
Collective punishment is “a form of sanction [e.g. judicial penalty or physical assault] imposed on … a group of persons in response to a crime committed by … a member of the group.”
The prohibition on collective punishment was adopted in reaction to wartime atrocities where a combatant would punish an entire group of civilians for a crime committed by just a few of them….
That “combatant” was Nazi Germany, that routinely would exact a terrible revenge if even one of its soldiers or officers was killed. It would kill 10, or 100, civilians — men, women, and children — for every soldier killed. In some cases, the number was even greater, After two German army officers were executed by Resistance forces near the French town of Oradour-sur-Glane, two Waffen SS divisions entered the town and murdered everyone they found in the village at the time, as well as people brought in from the surrounding area. The death toll includes people who were merely passing by in the village at the time of the SS company’s arrival. Men were brought into barns and sheds where they were shot in the legs and doused with petroleum before the barns were set on fire. Women and children were herded into a church that was set on fire; those who tried to escape through the windows were machine gunned. 642 people are recorded to have been murdered. That is “collective punishment” under anyone’s definition.
In causing more than a million Lebanese to move out of southern and eastern Beirut, the IDF was trying to clear the battlefield of civilians.This is required by provisions of International Humanitarian Law: “The warring parties” are obligated “to remove the civilian population … from the vicinity of military objectives.”
It is a “war crime” to deliberately hide your combatants among a civilian population, and using them as civilian shields, whose presence will make it harder for the IDF to locate and hit the terrorists. Moving out a million civilians makes it harder for Hezbollah to commit this particular war crime.
The IDF continues to push the Lebanese, and Hezbollah as well, ever further away from the Israeli border. The farther away Hezbollah is from the border, the harder it is for the terror group to launch missiles deep into Israel. Some of its short-range missiles cannot now hit targets much beyond that border.
The IDF demolition of Lebanese property also followed IHL. Generally speaking, a “civilian object” such as a home, school, or hospital is legally immune from military attack. However, if a civilian structure is commandeered for military use, it may lose its IHL protection and become a “military object” lawfully subject to attack. This restriction is a corollary of the rule that prohibits soldiers from fighting among civilians.
It is hard to argue that a school building that has Hezbollah missiles, drones, and rifles filling its classrooms, along with Hezbollah combatants who launch missiles at Israel from inside the classrooms, or has a tunnel entry dug from inside, say, the school’s library or gym, is in any sense a “civilian” building that should be exempt from attack.
Civilian sites lose their civilian status if they are put to military use, as Hezbollah used so many homes, schools, hospitals, and ambulances for the purposes of war-making. They then become legitimate military targets.
Hezbollah is extremely unpopular in Lebanon. The Christians (both Maronites and Orthodox) and the Sunni Muslims hate the terror group. And even many of the Shiites no longer support Hezbollah. For the terror group has repeatedly dragged the country into conflicts with Israel that unsurprisingly have resulted in terrific damage to Lebanon’s infrastructure. These Lebanese want Hezbollah to be disarmed. Some are placing their hopes on the IDF to do the job. Others think that large shipments of American military aid that has been sent since January to the Lebanese National Army has sufficiently strengthened the LNA, and that army should now be willing to take on Hezbollah, especially since IDF attacks that have killed as many as 5,000 of its fighters and wounded 3,800 others in the “exploding pagers” attack so severely that they are no longer fit for combat have greatly weakened the terror group.
85% of the Lebanese population want to see Hezbollah disarmed. If it cannot attack Israel, there will be no need for IDF attacks in response — the attacks that have wreaked so much destruction on the country’s infrastructure. Right now, President Josef Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam are in agreement: Hezbollah needs to be disarmed. And they are sounding as if they believe the Lebanese National Forces, newly armed by the Americans, and with the IDF again bombing hundreds of Hezbollah sites every day, are now up to the job. Let’s hope they are right.
Wellington says
One can count on the IDF to be courageous and do the right thing. This is a given backed up copious evidence.
To date there is no reason to think the same about the LNA. Perhaps this will change but it’s still defensible major doubt v. an unlikely future reality.
Patrick says
Israel is a true Savior of the innocent, their fearless foray into Lebanon is required due to the jihadist Hezbollah attacks on Israel, a proxy of Iran. May God be with Israel and all Israeli soldiers, in their fight against a foe, who wants their money, property, wives and children but, not the men of the families. They want to control all of Israel, by any means possible.
Praying for Israel, America, Trump, Netanyahu, Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, Dr. Bill Warner, Dr. Andy Woods, David Wood, Anni Cyrus, Brigitte Gabriel, Peter Hammond, John Guandolo, Frank Gaffney. May God be with you all, in your quest to save America and our freedoms/faiths. Amen
ploome says
if Israel cured all cancer, they would blame us for using chemotherapy
it’s always something
gravenimage says
All too true, Ploome.
James Lincoln says
Patrick,
You just mentioned some of my favorite people!
Rick Gordon says
The organizations noted are the ones guilty of many crimes and/or supporting criminal activities.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
After all their raids on civilian targets in Galilee, I don’t give a rat’s rear end about what Lebanese think about what Israel is doing in South Lebanon. Previously, I might have been a tad sympathetic to them being hostages of Hizbullah in Lebanon, but after the decimation of Hizbullah forces since the killing of Nasrallah, Beirut could easily have had its army move into Dahiya, Sidon, Tyre and all those places & cleared out Hizbullah remnants. They chose not to, so they can hardly blame Israel for doing it for them
tgusa says
When they started applying international humanitarian law to the inhumane they lost me.
OLD GUY says
I had exactly the same thought. Humanitarian and Islam are not exactly a match.
tgusa says
The law, especially Western law, is incapable of dealing with islam which has its own version of law. Western law is actually worse than just being ineffective it is an enabler of continuing islamic assault on Western civilization.
HO HO HO says
Tens of thousands of ISIS mercenaries disappear in Syria
A US report warned of the disappearance of 15,000-20,000 ISIS mercenaries and their families in Syria following security chaos and a mass escape from camps and prisons in the northeast of the country.
Tens of thousands of ISIS mercenaries disappear in Syria
A report issued by the US Inspector General for Operation Inherent Resolve warns of serious security repercussions following the escape of thousands of ISIS mercenaries and their families from camps and prisons in northeastern Syria.
The report states that between 15,000 and 20,000 people suspected of having ties to ISIS disappeared or escaped after the collapse of the detention system in early 2026, a consequence of attacks by the Syrian Interim Government and the security vacuum in Rojava.
It notes that the number of detainees in al-Hol camp has dwindled from approximately 23,400 to fewer than 1,500, following smuggling operations and mass escapes involving foreign women and children.
The report also mentions the escape of approximately 1,500 prisoners from al-Shaddadi prison during the Syrian Interim Government’s attacks on Rojava, warning that the resulting security vacuum has strengthened ISIS cells’ ability to reorganize.
Heroes like Zelensky and Zaluzhny never die says
When thousands of families wake up to water inundating their homes, and fields they awaited harvest are transformed into areas submerged in mud and water, and farmers find themselves facing a lost season, evaporated labor, and livelihoods swept away by the flood, the discussion is no longer merely about a natural disaster, but about heavy political and administrative responsibilities that demand accountability.
What the Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor governorates witnessed in recent days represents one of the most severe disasters to strike the region in years. Thousands of hectares of farmland were flooded, dozens of villages suffered extensive damage, and thousands of families were forced to flee in search of safety, amidst heartbreaking scenes that encapsulate the extent of the suffering endured by the inhabitants of the Syrian Jazeera.
Responsibility Before the Flood
The Turkish authorities bear a significant share of the responsibility for this tragedy. According to Syrian officials, Ankara opened the gates of the Atatürk Dam and several other dams on the Euphrates River after water levels rose, without notifying the relevant Syrian authorities beforehand and without giving them sufficient time to take the necessary measures to protect residents, property, and agricultural lands.
When the water surged forth in enormous quantities, estimated at approximately 2,000 cubic meters per second, the residents of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor found themselves facing a sudden flood that swept through villages, towns, and fields, leaving behind heartbreaking scenes of destruction and displacement.
The Absent Warning and the Delayed Response
Conversely, the responsibility of the authorities in Damascus is evident. Disasters demand constant preparedness, emergency plans, and the immediate mobilization of relevant agencies. The residents of the region were expecting swift action, clear warnings, and preventative measures to minimize losses. They expected officials to be present among them from the very first moments of the disaster, because those affected need someone to confront the crisis with them on the ground, not belated statements and pronouncements that only come after the fact.
A Suspicious Coincidence: Floods, Protests, and Wheat
The timing of this disaster raises many questions. The floods coincided with a wave of public anger following the announcement of wheat prices that displeased farmers across the Syrian Jazeera region, as the prices fell below production costs, leading to widespread feelings of injustice and loss.
Demonstrations erupted, angry chants rose, and protests spread with unprecedented speed. Squares filled with slogans demanding the dismissal of the governor and the minister, and others calling for the downfall of the regime. Given this confluence, questions abound regarding the circumstances and the need for a full and transparent investigation.
What comes after the floods? Compensation and accountability, or a repeat of the tragedy?
The people of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor have the full right to demand a transparent investigation that reveals the details of what happened. They also have the right to demand compensation from the Turkish side for the damages if its responsibility for exacerbating the disaster is proven. Furthermore, they have the right to demand that the relevant authorities compensate those affected, provide relief to the victims, and utilize all available resources to restore life to the flood-stricken areas.
Water Recedes, Questions Flow
The Euphrates River may recede from the fields and villages in a few days or weeks. But the questions left by this flood will continue to resonate in people’s minds for a long time.
This disaster exposes a series of accumulated failures: in managing transboundary water resources, in coordination and early warning systems, and in preparing to confront dangers that threaten people’s lives and livelihoods.
In the shelters, where schools and tents have become spaces of heavy waiting and deferred hopes, thousands of families continue to search for one answer: Why did the people alone pay the price?
In a moment where pain intertwines with anger, the victims’ right to hold accountable all those found negligent, regardless of their position or status, becomes paramount. They demand, without delay, the full truth be revealed to the public and that those affected receive compensation commensurate with the magnitude of their losses.
If justice is ever to prevail, no official—Turkish or Syrian—whose negligence contributed to this catastrophe and its resulting deaths and losses will escape historical accountability.
But until that day arrives, the harshest truth remains: the victims possess nothing but their tears and their voices, and we possess nothing but our words… perhaps a single word will document a crime or prevent a soul from drowning in the coming flood.
loek de vette says
Hang on, what are you all saying??? The Dutch news just informed me that it is all Israel’s fault (The cowards in Dutch NOS!!!!)
Stacy says
International is cover for global which is socialism.
Humanitarian is another manipulative phrase used by socialists to manipulate people via their morals and emotions.
The worst violators of “humanitarian crimes” are those Muslims and socialists who are deceiving people to be useful idiots.
Stacy says
International Humanitarian Law: “The warring parties” are obligated “to remove the civilian population … from the vicinity of military objectives.”
Let’s ask the Germans and Japanese during WW2….
Who writes these laws? Those who never fight the wars. They believe they can “civilize” war. All from their guilded thrones in their ivory towers far away from war.
gravenimage says
Israel In Lebanon and International Humanitarian Law
………………………………………
Great article, Hugh. Thank you.