BEIRUT, 30 August 2007 — The Lebanese government and Hezbollah yesterday condemned a report by a rights group criticizing the resistance group’s attacks on Israel during last year’s war, saying the document was a distortion of facts.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) report due for release today focuses on the extent “Hezbollah targeted or indiscriminately fired its rockets toward civilians and civilian objects” during the 34-day war, according to a statement by the New York-based group.
But even before the release of the report, Hezbollah and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora were scathing in their criticism, forcing a planned HRW press conference in Beirut to be canceled. “Israel during the attacks of July 2006 violated all international conventions,” Siniora’s office said in a statement.
“It killed nearly 1,200 Lebanese and injured thousands more and 72 hours after UN Resolution 1701 was adopted, it dropped 3.5 million cluster bombs in the south of the country.” Resolution 1701 put a stop to the war that began in July after Hezbollah launched a cross-border attack on Israel and kidnapped two soldiers, whose fate is still unknown.
Hezbollah spokesman Hussein Rahal said Human Rights Watch should start by criticizing Israel. “We were the victims during this war and people have a right to defend themselves,” he told AFP.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army said yesterday it would not evacuate wounded Islamists from a besieged Palestinian refugee camp unless the last diehard fighters leave with them. “There is no question of evacuating the wounded from Fatah Al-Islam on their own,” an army spokesman said. “We are also asking the fighters who remain in the camp to leave and we are committed to guaranteeing them a fair trial.” The army has been struggling to defeat the Fatah Al-Islam militia since fighting erupted in the Nahr Al-Bared camp and the nearby port city of Tripoli more than three months ago.
