Amnesty accused Israel of pursuing a systematic policy of destroying Lebanese civilian infrastructure. (Reuters)

CAIRO/BEIRUT — Amnesty International on Wednesday, August 23, accused Israel of committing war crimes during its five-week offensive on Lebanon and deliberately destroying its hard-won infrastructure as part of its military strategy, a day after the UN accused Israel of deliberately hitting Lebanese civilian areas with cluster bombs.

"Israel’s assertion that the attacks on the infrastructure were lawful is manifestly wrong," Kate Gilmore, Amnesty's Executive Deputy Secretary General, said in a new report posted on its website.

"Many of the violations identified in our report are war crimes, including indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks."

The report, "Israel/Lebanon: Deliberate destruction or 'collateral damage", said that Israel has pursued a systematic policy of destroying the Lebanese civilian infrastructure.

It said that Israeli attacks on the Lebanese infrastructure were "not simply incidental to lawful military objectives.

"The evidence strongly suggests that the extensive destruction of power and water plants, as well as the transport infrastructure vital for food and other humanitarian relief, was deliberate and an integral part of a military strategy."

The UN Development Program (UNDP) said Tuesday, August 22, that the Israeli onslaught has brought Lebanon's 15-year economic and development drive to square one.

It estimated that overall Lebanese economic losses from the month-long war totaled "at least 15 billion dollars, if not more."

Lebanese authorities estimated last week that direct structural damage inflicted by the Israeli offensive reached 3.6 billion dollars, including 15,000 housing units, 80 bridges and 94 roads destroyed or damaged.

About 35,000 homes and businesses were destroyed, while a quarter of the country's road bridges or flyovers were shattered, according to the UNDP's initial estimate.

UN Inquiry

The London-based international human rights advocacy group also refuted the Israeli allegation that it only targeted Hizbullah positions and support facilities.

"The pattern, scope and scale of the attacks makes Israel's claim that this was 'collateral damage' simply not credible," Gilmore said.

Amnesty also called for an urgent and comprehensive UN inquiry into grave violations of international law during the Lebanon war.

"Civilian victims on both sides of this conflict deserve justice. The serious nature of violations committed makes an investigation into the conduct of both parties urgent.

"There must be accountability for the perpetrators of war crimes and reparation for the victims."

The report was based on interviews with dozens of victims, UN, Israeli and Lebanese officials as well as official statements and press reports.

Human Rights Watch on Thursday, August 3, accused Israel of committing war crimes and deliberately targeting civilians in its blitz in Lebanon.

Cluster Bombs

Thousands of unexploded bomblets left over by Israeli forces have turned many areas in south Lebanon into virtual minefields.

Amnesty's report comes only one day after a UN official accused Israel of deliberately hitting Lebanese civilian areas with cluster bombs.

"These cluster bombs were dropped in the middle of villages," Tekimiti Gilbert, operations chief of the UN Mine Action Coordination Center in Lebanon, told Reuters in an interview.

The UN official said that Israel dropped cluster bombs on at least 170 villages and other places in south Lebanon.

Thousands of unexploded bomblets left over by Israeli forces have turned many areas in south Lebanon into virtual minefields.

"It's a huge problem. There are obvious dangers with children, people and cars. People are tripping over these things," Gilbert averred.

At least eight Lebanese civilians were killed and 25 others wounded, including several children, in the explosion of the Israeli bomblets.

Israel acknowledges dropping cluster bombs during the Lebanon war.

The cluster bombs, many US-made, are designed to penetrate thick armor as well as to kill or maim people within several yards.

The bombs release small bomblets in midair, expected to fall to the ground and explode on impact across a wide area.

Clearing Teams

The UN official said that it could take up to 12 months or more to clear south Lebanon from the Israeli bomblets.

Gilbert added that six assessment teams had been finding 30 new cluster bomb sites a day, mostly south of the Litani river, about 20 km (13 miles) from the borders.

Large numbers had also been found further north around Nabatiyeh and Hasbaya, he noted.

The UN official said four clearance teams from Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a British NGO, had already found and made safe more than 1,000 cluster bombs in the past six days.

Another 13 clearance teams from MAG and a British firm will start work soon, along with two from Sweden.

Lebanese army teams as well as Hizbullah members are also helping clear the south from the Israeli bomblets.

"Hizbullah have picked up a large number of these bombs and put them into boxes and got them away from the children," Gilbert acknowledged.

"You can't fault them. They are putting their lives at risk."