French judges open criminal probe into Beirut strike
French judicial authorities have officially opened a criminal investigation. They are determining if the Israeli air strike that killed seven civilians in Beirut constitutes a war crime. This initiative follows a complaint filed in April by Franco-Lebanese artist Ali Cherri and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). Sources close to the case say this is the first time since October 2023 that French courts have opened a war crimes probe into the Israeli military in Lebanon.
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In an interview with AFP, Cherri said he has fought for nearly two years. He wants to ensure the attack that killed his parents and five other civilians is not left unpunished. He described the opening of the investigation as a huge step forwardfor his family. However, he acknowledged the road to justice will be long and difficult. What happened to my parents is not an isolated case. Beyond my personal story and the memory of my parents, this fight is also about the dignity of all civilian victims,the artist emphasized. He hopes the probe will help break the immunity enjoyed by Israeli officials responsible for attacks on civilians in Lebanon and Palestine.
The tragic context of the November 2024 incident
The tragic incident occurred on November 27, 2024. This was just hours before the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. Israeli forces launched an air strike on a 12-story residential building in the Noueiri district of Beirut. The attack killed seven civilians, including Cherri's parents. Three floors of the building were completely destroyed.
Evidence from Amnesty and Forensic Architecture
The basis for the French investigation relies on research by Amnesty International and Forensic Architecture. In an April report, Amnesty stated its researchers found no evidence of a military target near the residential building at the time of the attack. The organization noted the strike occurred around 5:30 PM, about ten and a half hours before the ceasefire took effect. Investigators also found a US-made GBU-39 precision-guided bomb at the scene. This provides a reasonable basisto suspect a violation of international humanitarian law.
Prosecutors find grave and coherent evidence
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT), which handles war crimes cases, requested the judicial investigation in September. Prosecutors identified grave and coherentevidence regarding the alleged offenses.
Legal scope and jurisdictional limits
Cherri's lawyer, Clémence Bectarte, explained the investigation aims to establish what happened during the bombing. She highlighted that this is the first judicial probe into Israeli war crimes in Lebanon since October 2023. Cherri holds dual French and Lebanese citizenship. This makes the French procedure focus on the bombing of his apartment. It limits the applicable scope of the case. FIDH clarified that French courts lack jurisdiction over events leading to the deaths of non-French citizens. Therefore, Cherri could not file a murder complaint related to his parents' death, according to his lawyer's explanations.
Parallel probes into other Israeli actions
In parallel, the PNAT opened preliminary probes into torture and war crimes. These relate to the interception of humanitarian flotillas bound for Gaza in 2025 and 2026. At the end of 2025, the prosecutor's office asked a Paris investigating judge to open a probe into war crimes. This concerns the death of two French children in an Israeli bombing in Gaza in October 2023. However, sources close to the case said accusations of genocide and crimes against humanity were excluded by prosecutors.
