Lebanon has taken a significant step by filing a complaint against Israel at the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency, over a series of deadly attacks involving exploding pagers. The attacks, which occurred in mid-September, targeted Hezbollah members and resulted in the deaths of at least 37 people, including two children, and left around 3,000 individuals injured. The explosions, triggered remotely, took place in various locations such as grocery stores, homes, and streets, causing widespread concern among the Lebanese population.
While Israel has not confirmed or denied its involvement in the attacks, Lebanese authorities have attributed the incidents to the country. The detonating devices not only affected Hezbollah fighters but also impacted workers in the organization's civilian institutions, including those in healthcare and media operations.
Lebanese Labor Minister Moustafa Bayram, along with other officials, traveled to Geneva to formally lodge the complaint against Israel at the ILO. Bayram expressed grave concerns about the use of such tactics in warfare, emphasizing the need to condemn this dangerous precedent. He highlighted the potential implications of ordinary objects being turned into lethal weapons, posing a threat to human safety and security.
Bayram underscored that ILO conventions are designed to ensure the protection of workers, who found themselves in harm's way as their pagers and walkie-talkies exploded unexpectedly while they were at work. Despite uncertainties about the outcome of the complaint, Bayram stressed the importance of raising awareness about the risks associated with such tactics and their potential to escalate conflicts.
An ILO spokeswoman indicated that the organization was not immediately informed about the complaint and its potential implications. However, Lebanon's initiative to address this issue at an international level underscores the gravity of the situation and the urgent need to prevent similar incidents in the future.
