French judges probe war crimes complaint against Israeli army in Lebanon
PARIS: France has opened a judicial investigation into a war crimes complaint over an Israeli strike on a residential building in Lebanon in 2024, lawyer Clemence Bectarte told AFP on Tuesday.
French judges have initiated a judicial investigation into war crimes allegations against the Israeli army following an attack on a residential building in Lebanon, according to a lawyer. The complaint was filed by French-Lebanese artist Ali Cherri, whose parents were among seven civilians killed in the 2024 strike in central Beirut.
The Paris Judicial Court has appointed two investigating judges to the case, marking the first of its kind for alleged war crimes by Israeli forces in Lebanon. The attack occurred hours before a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, according to the complaint seen by AFP. Cherri, whose parents were killed, has taken legal action "for the dignity of all civilian victims" and hopes the investigation will end the impunity enjoyed by Israeli officials who attack civilians in Lebanon and Palestine.
Other investigations are currently underway, including cases related to the deaths of civilians in Tyre and the uprooting of olive trees in southern Lebanon. France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office has also opened a war crimes investigation into the Israeli interception of humanitarian flotillas to Gaza in 2025 and 2026, while ruling out charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in the death of two French children in an Israeli bombing in Gaza in 2023.
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