[JURIST] Hezbollah [party website, in Arabic; CFR backgrounder] is organizing lawsuits against Israel seeking reparations for damage caused during the summer 2006 Lebanon conflict [JURIST news archive]. Hezbollah legal affairs director Ibrahim Awada told Syrian media last week that Hezbollah will pay legal fees to facilitate lawsuits filed by Lebanese citizens with multiple-citizenships in third-party states. Hezbollah says the move was necessary because Lebanese officials were reluctant to pursue claims against Israel [JURIST news archive].

In July, Amnesty International [advocacy website] condemned both Israel and Hezbollah for failing to investigate alleged war crimes [JURIST report; press release] that occurred during the conflict. Amnesty 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. Haaretz has more.