French judges launch investigation into alleged war crimes in Lebanon

Two French judges have opened a formal judicial investigation into alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli military in Lebanon. This legal action follows a petition by Ali Cherri, a French-Lebanese artist whose parents were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut in late 2024. The bombardment targeted a 12-story residential building, resulting in the deaths of seven civilians, including Cherri's 87-year-old father and 77-year-old mother.

Cherri described the initiation of this investigation as a major step toward addressing the impunity surrounding attacks on civilians in Lebanon and Palestine. His legal counsel highlighted that such a probe is unprecedented. Although the victims' families have campaigned for nearly two years to seek accountability, they acknowledge that the judicial process ahead will be both long and arduous. The investigation seeks to determine responsibility for the strike that killed the seven civilians and aims to combat the broader cycle of civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict. As the proceedings move forward, the case remains a significant legal challenge, testing the scope of French jurisdiction over foreign military actions involving French citizens.