UN rights chief warns Middle East war is eroding international law

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has stepped up his warnings over the widening war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, saying the conflict is inflicting severe civilian suffering while undermining the rules meant to govern war. In recent statements, he has urged immediate de-escalation and a return to negotiations.

Türk voices shock over civilian deaths and attacks on schools

At a March 3 briefing, the UN human rights office said Türk was “deeply shocked” by what it described as the disregard for civilian life since the conflict erupted on February 28. The office called for a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the strike on a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, where more than 150 students were reported killed, and stressed that schools and other civilian sites must never be attacked.

The UN also pointed to civilian casualties elsewhere in the conflict, including a missile strike in Beit Shemesh, Israel, and mounting alarm over the bombing of residential areas in Beirut. Türk has said the region is facing a rapidly worsening humanitarian emergency.

He has also raised concern about conditions inside Iran, including the impact of telecommunications disruptions on civilians trying to access safety information. Rights groups have separately warned that Iran’s internet blackout is increasing risks for civilians and obstructing access to vital information during the war.

Lebanon emerging as major flashpoint, UN says

In a March 6 statement, Türk warned that Lebanon was becoming “a key flashpoint” in the broader regional crisis. He raised serious legal concerns over Israel’s large-scale displacement orders covering southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, saying they could violate international humanitarian law and may amount to forced transfer. He called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

Reuters reported that the evacuation orders have already forced very large numbers of people to flee, with around 100,000 people taking shelter in collective sites as of March 6, while many more are believed to be staying elsewhere.

Speaking more broadly at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk warned that the threat and use of force to settle disputes was becoming normalised and that international humanitarian law was being dismantled. He also flagged reports of artificial intelligence being used in targeting decisions, saying there must always be meaningful human control over the use of weapons.

Asked what message he had for Washington and Tel Aviv, Türk said the answer was simple: de-escalate, return to the negotiating table and stop trying to achieve political aims through war. Reuters also reported that he hopes to travel to Washington later this month to discuss the crisis directly with US officials.