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Lebanon Files Complaint with UN Task Force Against Israel Over Deadly Pager Explosions
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Lebanon Files Complaint with UN Task Force Against Israel Over Deadly Pager Explosions

GENEVA — Lebanon has filed a complaint with the U.N. labor agency against Israel over a series of deadly attacks that included exploding pagers, a Lebanese government minister said Wednesday, and that workers were among those killed and injured.

Israel was held responsible for the explosion wave

Israel was largely held responsible for remotely triggered explosions that hit pagers and radios carried by Hezbollah members in mid-September; Israel neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in this incident. According to Lebanese officials, at least 37 people, including two children, died and nearly 3 thousand people were injured in the explosions that occurred in grocery stores, houses and streets. This situation deeply disturbed even Lebanese people who were not affiliated with Hezbollah.

In addition to fighters, the detonators also hit employees of Hezbollah’s civilian institutions, including health services and media operations.

Complaint Filed to the International Labor Organization

Lebanese Labor Minister Mustafa Bajram and other officials said he went to Geneva and formally filed a complaint against Israel with the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency that brings together governments, businesses and workers.

“This method of war and conflicts could pave the way for many people who escape international humanitarian law to adopt this method of warfare,” he told reporters at the UN compound in Geneva.

“Even if it is not condemned, this is a very dangerous precedent,” he said. “We are in a situation where ordinary objects, that is, objects used in everyday life, have become dangerous and lethal.”

Worker Safety and Security Concerns

Speaking in Arabic, Bayram emphasized that ILO conventions guarantee the safety and security of workers “who are in workplaces whose pagers or walkie-talkies suddenly go off,” according to a translator.

“I don’t know where the complaint will lead, but at least we raised our voices and warned against this dangerous approach that deals a blow to human relations and leads to more conflicts,” he said.

An ILO spokesman said he was not immediately aware of the complaint or what redress might be possible through it.