UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi’s recent tweet claims that Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon are “relentlessly claiming hundreds of civilian lives.” While the loss of any life is tragic, Grandi’s message overlooks a critical aspect of this conflict—Hezbollah’s deliberate and strategic use of civilians as human shields, a tactic that puts innocent lives at risk.
For nearly a year, Hezbollah has been launching rockets, UAVs, and mortar shells into Israel, targeting civilian areas and forcing families into bomb shelters. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are defending their citizens from an ongoing terror campaign waged by Hezbollah, an organization that has embedded its military infrastructure deep within civilian areas—schools, hospitals, and residential neighborhoods. This is not a result of Israeli aggression but Hezbollah’s cowardly tactic of using civilians to protect their military operations.
It’s important to understand that the IDF goes to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties, precisely targeting Hezbollah’s military assets while avoiding harm to non-combatants wherever possible. However, when Hezbollah places rocket launchers and communication systems in civilian areas, it is Hezbollah, not Israel, that bears responsibility for the tragic loss of life. Grandi’s statement fails to address this, instead portraying Israel as the aggressor while ignoring the reality that Hezbollah is the one using civilians as shields.
The deaths of two UNHCR colleagues are deeply saddening, and our condolences go out to their families. However, it is crucial to remember that Hezbollah’s actions are the driving force behind the violence in Lebanon. By turning civilian areas into war zones, Hezbollah puts both Lebanese and international lives in danger, making them complicit in the very tragedies Grandi speaks of.
If the UN truly wants to protect civilians, it must first hold Hezbollah accountable for its flagrant disregard for human life. Criticizing Israel without acknowledging the terror organization that started this conflict only perpetuates a dangerous double standard, one that shields Hezbollah from responsibility while condemning Israel for defending its people. Peace in the region will only be possible when the international community recognizes the true aggressors and holds them accountable for their actions.
