'Civilians all over Lebanon have been punished for attacks in south Lebanon on the

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and its militia ally the South Lebanon Army (SLA) by Hizbullah,'

Amnesty International said today.

'Israel's direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects violate fundamental principles of

international humanitarian law. These require parties to an armed conflict to distinguish at all

times between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military

objectives, and to direct their operations only against military objectives,' the organisation

added.

Amnesty International is also urging Hizbullah to refrain from reprisal attacks on the

civilian population in northern Israel.

'Reprisals which involve attacks on civilians are unlawful. We call on all parties to the

armed conflict in south Lebanon to act with the utmost restraint and with full respect for the

principles of human rights and humanitarian law,' Amnesty International said.

Background

On the night of 7 February the IAF bombed three power stations in Baalbek, Deir Nbouh, near

Tripoli and Jamhur, near Beirut. According to media reports 18 civilians were injured near

Baalbek during these raids. Yesterday the IAF carried out further raids, including an attack in

which Apache helicopters damaged a flat in the city of Tyre reportedly used by Hizbullah as a

religious school, injuring four civilians. Tyre has a population of about 70,000