Two investigating judges have been appointed to examine the Israeli military’s 26 November 2024 bombing, which killed artist Ali Cherri’s parents and five other civilians.
France’s War Crimes Unit has opened a judicial investigation into the Israeli military’s bombing of a residential building in Beirut. The strike killed 7 civilians, including the parents of Franco-Lebanese artist Ali Cherri.
The investigation follows a complaint filed six months earlier by Cherri and the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights. Two investigating judges have been appointed to the case.
The bombing on 26 November 2024, destroyed three floors of the building. Cherri’s parents, Mahmoud Naim Cherri and Nadira Hayek, were among the seven civilians killed. The strike came hours before a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah was due to take effect.
Clémence Bectarte, a lawyer for the federation, said the complainants characterized the bombing as a war crime in their complaint. That is an allegation, not a judicial finding.
Because Cherri holds French and Lebanese nationality, the investigation will focus only on the bombing of his apartment, Deadline said. French courts lack jurisdiction over the events that led to the deaths of the victims, who were not French nationals.
Cherri said he wants the investigation to establish responsibility and hold those who ordered and carried out the bombing accountable.
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