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France Opens War Crimes Investigation Into Beirut Deaths Of Artist-Filmmaker Ali Cherri’s Parents
France’s War Crimes Unit has opened a judicial investigation into an Israeli army bombing of a Beirut apartment block that killed seven civilians, including the parents of Franco-Lebanese artist and filmmaker Ali Cherri. The case matters because it is described by a rights group as the first such French judicial investigation into Israeli army actions in Lebanon since October 2023.
Two investigating judges will examine the 26 November 2024 strike, which destroyed three floors of the building shortly before a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was due to take effect. Cherri’s parents, Mahmoud Naim Cherri and Nadira Hayek, and their domestic worker, Birki Negesa, were among those killed. Cherri and the International Federation for Human Rights filed a complaint six months earlier; French jurisdiction is limited to the bombing because Cherri is a French national, while the other victims were not.
In short
- France has opened an investigation into a Beirut bombing that killed seven civilians.
- Ali Cherri’s parents and their domestic worker were among those killed.
- Two judges will examine the strike, which came hours before a ceasefire.
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