France investigates deadly Israeli strike in Beirut
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Amnesty International
A French unit specialising in war crimes has opened a judicial investigation into a deadly Israeli strike on a civilian building in central Beirut in November 2024. The case follows a complaint by French-Lebanese artist and filmmaker Ali Cherri and the International Federation for Human Rights, Amnesty International reports.
French authorities have opened a judicial investigation into the Israeli strike on 26 November 2024 against a civilian building in the Nouweiri district of Beirut, which killed seven people, Amnesty International said. The investigation by the French War Crimes Unit follows a complaint filed on 1 April 2026 by French-Lebanese artist and filmmaker Ali Cherri and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
The seven victims include Ali Cherri’s parents, Nadira Hayek, 78, and Mahmoud Naim Cherri, 88, as well as their housekeeper, Birki Negesa. The strike hit a 12-storey residential building at 5.30pm, ten and a half hours before a ceasefire took effect, according to an investigation published by Amnesty in February 2025.
Amnesty says it found no evidence of a military objective nearby and says no effective advance warning was given. The organisation considers that the attack should be investigated as a war crime. Its regional director, Heba Morayef, described the opening of the French investigation as a step towards justice for the victims and their families.
Amnesty says it has documented other unlawful Israeli attacks in Lebanon since October 2023 and calls on states to use available judicial procedures, including extraterritorial jurisdiction. The organisation calls for anyone suspected of criminal responsibility to be given a fair trial.
