New war crimes complaint filed in France over Israeli destruction in Lebanon

A French-Lebanese individual has lodged a war crimes complaint with France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office regarding Israeli destruction of his property in southern Lebanon during its conflict with Hezbollah. The complainant, whose identity remains undisclosed, resides in France and claims his house and olive trees were destroyed by Israel.

His lawyers, William Bourdon and Nicolas Busin, argue that the destruction of the complainant's property constitutes ethnic cleansing, with no alternative term. The lawyers emphasized that the complainant's family has no ties to Hezbollah, underscoring the lack of a military objective in the destruction of his property. They described it as "an act of destruction, damage, or even theft," which they contend constitutes a war crime.

The complaint aims to uncover the truth, identify the perpetrators, and prosecute them. Over 6,000 French citizens serve in the Israeli military, and Busin denounced the possibility of French nationals committing war crimes in Lebanon. This is the third such complaint filed in France this year, with the first filed in April by Ali Cherri, whose parents were killed in an Israeli strike on the eve of the November 2024 ceasefire.

The French judiciary has jurisdiction over these cases as the complainants are French citizens. Additionally, there have been instances of Lebanese citizens with dual nationality initiating legal proceedings outside Lebanon due to the lack of avenues to seek accountability for alleged international crimes within Lebanon. Lebanon is not a party to the Rome Statute and has not accepted the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Israel-Lebanon framework agreement, signed in June, has raised concerns about Lebanon's ability to seek accountability through international courts, as Article 13 commits both sides to take "good-faith measures demonstrating positive intent, including the cessation of all hostile or adverse actions in international political or legal forums."

Bourdon has initiated several legal proceedings related to Lebanon, leading to three investigations in France and the freezing of assets and issuance of an international arrest warrant for former Lebanese Central Bank governor Riad Salameh. Bourdon highlighted the "considerable judicial momentum" and expressed expectations for increased momentum in ongoing cases, including those involving former Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the French subsidiaries of Lebanese banking groups SGBL Group and Bank Audi.