[JURIST] Hezbollah recklessly and sometimes intentionally fired rockets at civilian targets during the summer 2006 Lebanon conflict [JURIST news archive], according to a 128-page report [text; press release] released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW). Hezbollah was not legally justified in firing on civilians simply because Israel launched attacked Lebanese towns, HRW concluded, because the international rules of war prohibit indiscriminate targeting of civilians for any reason. A Hezbollah spokesperson immediately condemned the report as one-sided. HRW is scheduled to release a report chronicling Israel's alleged human rights violations on September 6. AP has more.

In July, Amnesty International (AI) condemned both Israel and Hezbollah for failing to investigate alleged war crimes [JURIST report; press release] that occurred during the conflict. AI also criticized the UN Security Council for its inaction and faulted the UN Human Rights Council [official website] for conducting a one-sided inquiry focusing only on alleged violations by Israel. In November, the UN rights body characterized the Israeli use of force in Lebanon as "excessive, indiscriminate, and disproportionate" [JURIST report] and in "flagrant violation" of international law.