UN rights office: Israeli strike on north Lebanon killed many women and children

The UN human rights office said on Tuesday it had received reports that most of the 22 people killed an in Israeli air strike on a building in northern Lebanon were women and children.

"What we are hearing is that amongst the 22 people killed were 12 women and two children," UN human rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told a Geneva press briefing in response to a question about a strike on Aitou on Monday.

"We understand it was a four-story residential building that was struck. With these factors in mind, we have real concerns with respect to IHL (international humanitarian law), so the laws of war, and the principles of distinction proportion and proportionality," he said, calling for an investigation into the incident.

Reporting by Reuters