GENEVA — On Wednesday, a Lebanese minister announced that Lebanon is submitting a formal complaint against Israel to the United Nations’ labor organization due to a series of fatal incidents involving explosive devices, which have resulted in numerous casualties among workers.
The attacks, which occurred in mid-September, have been largely attributed to Israeli forces, although Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the bombings. The tragic events claimed the lives of at least 37 individuals, including two children, and left over 3,000 people injured. Such violence has provoked significant fear and unrest even among Lebanese citizens who are not aligned with Hezbollah.
Lebanese Labor Minister Moustafa Bayram made the trip to Geneva specifically to lodge the complaint with the International Labor Organization (ILO), a major U.N. agency that encompasses various stakeholders, including governments, businesses, and labor representatives.
During his statements, Minister Bayram expressed that the actual number of casualties is even higher than previously reported, indicating that “more than 4,000 civilians fell — between martyrs and injured and maimed — in a few minutes by this attack.”
He further elaborated on the nature of the warfare being employed, warning that this could set a dangerous precedent. “This method of warfare and conflicts may open the way for many who are evading international humanitarian law to adopt this method of warfare,” he cautioned while addressing reporters at the U.N. facility in Geneva. He stressed, “We are facing a situation where everyday items — objects used in daily life — turn into threats that can cause harm.”
Speaking through an interpreter, Bayram emphasized that the conventions of the ILO are designed to ensure the safety and welfare of workers. He pointed out that workers were caught off guard when their pagers and walkie-talkies suddenly exploded while they were at their places of employment.
“While I am unsure how the complaint will develop, we have at least made our concerns known to highlight and warn against this alarming trend, which undermines human relations and exacerbates conflict,” he noted.
An official spokesperson for the ILO stated that she was not immediately aware of the details regarding the complaint or the potential remedies that could arise from it.