From Violation to Accountability: Israel's Operation Pager from the Perspective of International Law and Iran's Diplomatic Options

Since ۲۰۲۳, Israeli military operations have been accompanied by a series of violations of international legal rules and obligations, including deliberate famine, mass killings, the use of prohibited weapons, and other grave breaches. Among such actions, the “Pager Explosion Operation” in Lebanon and Syria stands out, resulting in nearly ۴۰ fatalities and over ۳,۰۰۰ wounded or disabled individuals. This article seeks to answer two key questions: which international legal obligations have been violated by this operation under international law, and what form of legal-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 commission 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 incidental harm, 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 unlawful acts or to raise the cost of their commission.

کلیدواژه ها:

Iran& rsquo ، s International Legal Policy ، Diplomatic protection ، Extrajudicial Killing ، Israel ، Rome Statute