UN rights chief demands accountability for Lebanon pager blasts

Those responsible for a deadly wave of explosions across Lebanon targeting paging devices used by members of the Hezbollah militant group "must be held to account", the UN rights chief said Wednesday.

The Iranian-backed group has accused Israel and vowed to retaliate over the explosions that killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded up to 2,800 others.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

In a statement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk described the blasts as "shocking", and said their impact on civilians was "unacceptable".

"The fear and terror unleashed is profound."

The UN rights chief stressed that the "simultaneous targeting of thousands of individuals, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowledge as to who was in possession of the targeted devices, their location and their surroundings at the time of the attack, violates international human rights law and, to the extent applicable, international humanitarian law".

"There must be an independent, thorough and transparent investigation as to the circumstances of these mass explosions," he said.

"Those who ordered and carried out such an attack must be held to account."

Turk highlighted that Tuesday's attack had come at an "extremely volatile time".

The blasts came hours after Israel said it was broadening the aims of the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attacks to include its fight against the group's ally Hezbollah along the country's border with Lebanon.

"All States with influence in the region and beyond to take immediate measures to avert further widening of the current conflicts," Turk said.