From Violation to Accountability: Israel's Operation Pager from the Perspective of International Law and Iran's Diplomatic Options
نویسندگان
1 Assistant Professor of International Law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran
doi
10.22034/irfa.2025.534029.1292چکیده
Since 2023, Israeli military operations have been accompanied by a series of breaches of international legal rules and obligations, including deliberate famine, mass killings, the use of prohibited weapons, and other grave violations. Among these actions, the “Pager Operation” in Lebanon and Syria stands out, resulting in nearly 40 fatalities and over 3,000 injured or disabled individuals. This article seeks to answer two key questions: which international legal obligations were violated by this operation under international law, and what form of legal or international response should be adopted by Iran? Accordingly, through a descriptive-analytical methodology, the article provides a legal assessment of the operation. The findings indicate that the Pager Operation can be evaluated under four legal frameworks: international human rights law, international humanitarian law, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and other specific treaty regimes. Within these frameworks, the operation constitutes multiple violations, including the infringement of the right to life and the carrying out of extrajudicial killings, the violation of the right to health and dignified living, the breach of obligations prohibiting unnecessary suffering and indiscriminate attacks, the direct targeting of civilians and the infliction of collateral damage, the use of booby-traps, and the violation of the principle of distinction. In light of the recurring threats of similar operations against Iran and its allies and the potential harm to national and regional interests, the article concludes that Iran should employ international legal mechanisms to prevent the recurrence of such illegal acts or to raise the costs of their commission.