The Israeli and Lebanese governments, and Hizbullah, must take immediate steps to end the ongoing attacks against civilians and civilian objects, says Amnesty International.
In a strongly worded statement the international organisation said such attacks are a blatant breach of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes.
"It is vital at this time of rapidly rising tension that all parties observe the requirements of international humanitarian law, and that other governments take all appropriate steps to insist that they do so," the statement said.
"Israel must put an immediate end to attacks against civilians and against civilian infrastructure in Lebanon, which constitute collective punishment. Israel must also respect the principle of proportionality when targeting any military objectives or civilian objectives that may be used for military purposes," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East Programme.
"Hizbullah must stop launching attacks against Israeli civilians and it must treat humanely the two Israeli soldiers it captured on Wednesday and grant them immediate access to the International Committee of the Red Cross," added Smart.
Amnesty also called on the Lebanese government to take concrete measures to ensure that Hizbullah complies with these obligations under international law.
Human Rights Watch also weighed in. "Hizbullah and Israel must make protecting civilians the priority, and direct attacks only at military targets," said Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch.
Human Rights Watch said that attacks on civilians, or acts to intimidate civilians, clearly violate international humanitarian law, and may constitute war crimes, even if carried out in reprisal for attacks by an adversary on one's own civilians.
HRW pointed to comments by spokesmen for both Hizbullah and Israel which foreshadowed breaches of international law, and war crimes.
The Israeli chief of staff, Brig.Gen. Dan Halutz, noted in public remarks that senior Hizbullah leaders live and work in southern Beirut, and said Beirut could be targeted if Hizbullah continued to fire rockets into northern Israel. "Nothing is safe [in Lebanon], it's as simple as that," Halutz said.
A Hizbullah statement said, "In case the southern suburb of Beirut or the city of Beirut come under direct Israeli attack, we announce that we will bombard the city of Haifa and its environs."
Israeli media reports quoted an unnamed officer of the Israel Defense Forces as saying, "If they attack Haifa and Hadera, it will constitute a reason to severely damage Lebanese infrastructures, including Hizbullah's 20-storey buildings inside Beirut."
Human Rights Watch said international humanitarian law requires armed forces distinguish between combatants and civilians, and between military objects and civilian objects, at all times. It is also forbidden to carry out indiscriminate attacks or attacks that cause damage disproportionate to the anticipated concrete military advantage.
Some 60 Lebanese civilians have reportedly been killed in Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling against villages in South Lebanon since Wednesday's cross-border attack by Hizbullah's armed wing, in which two Israeli soldiers were captured and eight others killed.
Among the Lebanese victims were a family of ten, including eight children, who were killed in Dweir village, near Nabatiyeh, and a family of seven, including a seven-month-old baby, who were killed in Baflay village near Tyre. More than 100 other civilians were injured in these or other attacks.
Amnesty said Israeli forces have launched deliberate attacks against civilian objects throughout Lebanon, including Beirut international airport, 10 bridges and an electricity power station, as well as against Hizbullah targets, notably the offices of its al-Manar television station in Beirut and its relay station in Baalbek.
At the same time, Hizbullah has been launching Katyusha rockets into Northern Israel. An Israeli woman was killed and dozens of other civilians were injured when a Katyusha rocket hit a house in the town of Nahariya, says Amnesty today.
The Fourth Geneva Convention, prohibits "collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism ..." (Article 33). According to Article 147 of the Convention, "extensive destruction ... not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly," hostage-taking and "torture or inhuman treatment" are grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and constitute war crimes. All state parties to the Convention are required to search for and ensure the prosecution of perpetrators of grave breaches of the said Convention.
Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions codifies the principle of distinction, a customary rule of international humanitarian law: "In order to ensure respect for and protection of the civilian population and civilian objects, the Parties to the conflict shall at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives and accordingly shall direct their operation only against military objectives." (Article 48). International Humanitarian Law strictly prohibits attacks against civilians and civilian objects. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) includes as war crimes: "Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities", and "Intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects" (Article 8 2 (b) (i) and (ii)).
