Paris (France) (AFP) - The French judiciary in Paris opened an investigation into a lawsuit filed by a French artist of Lebanese origin against the Israeli army on charges of committing a war crime by targeting a residential building in Beirut in late 2024, resulting in the killing of his parents, among others, in an “unprecedented” case, according to his lawyer.

Published on: 03/11/2026 - 12:43

Six months after filing a civil lawsuit alongside the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), French-Lebanese artist Ali Cheri and his lawyer Clemence Pictart told AFP on Tuesday that two judges had been appointed to conduct the investigation.

“For almost two years, I have been fighting... to ensure that the perpetrators of the Israeli bombing that killed my father and five other civilians do not escape punishment,” Sherri added to AFP, praising “a big step forward for me and my family, although we know that the road to justice will remain long and arduous.”

He stressed, "What happened to my parents is not an isolated case. In addition to my personal story and the memory of my parents, this battle is also about the dignity of all civilian victims. I hope that this investigation will contribute to breaking the impunity enjoyed by Israeli officials for attacks against civilians in Lebanon and Palestine."

According to the complaint seen by Agence France-Presse, seven civilians were killed, including Sheri’s father and mother, aged 87 and 77, in the raid that targeted a 12-storey building on Al-Nuwairi Street in the center of the Lebanese capital, on November 26, 2024, which led to the destruction of three floors.

The complaint added that the bombing “occurred just hours before the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah entered into force,” based on research conducted by Amnesty International and Forensic Engineering, which investigated the raid.

It is not possible to resort to the French judiciary to investigate the killing of Ali Cherri’s parents, who do not have French citizenship. Therefore, his lawyer reported that he filed a lawsuit on charges of committing a war crime of “intentional attack on civilian property,” while he owned the apartment in which his parents were killed and which was later destroyed.

"First investigation"

In September, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecution Office, which has jurisdiction over war crimes, requested the opening of a judicial investigation against an unknown person, acknowledging “serious and consistent” indications that such acts had been committed, according to a source familiar with the case.

Lawyer Bektatrat said that the judicial investigation, “which aims to shed full light” on this bombing operation, is in principle in France “the first judicial investigation related to the crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon since the beginning of the military operation in the year 2023.”

Hezbollah entered the war with Israel following the October 7, 2023 attack launched by Hamas against the Hebrew state, in what it said was “support” for the Palestinian movement.

The hostilities, which escalated into open conflict in September 2024, resulted in the deaths of more than 4,300 people in Lebanon, according to official data issued by the Lebanese authorities.

Other complaints were filed in Paris targeting the Israeli army, including a complaint filed by another French-Lebanese, Muhammad H., who is represented by lawyer Emmanuel Daoud, and who lost his mother, sister, and two nephews in air strikes on Tyre (south) on the night of April 16-17, 2026.

Also, a French businessman of Lebanese origin filed a lawsuit, accusing the Israeli army of uprooting 600 old olive trees belonging to his family in a village in southern Lebanon. He is represented by attorneys Vincent Bringarth, William Bourdon, and Nicholas Bussin.

In addition to Lebanon, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecution opened preliminary investigations into acts that Israeli forces were accused of committing, including those related in particular to charges of torture and war crimes after the interception of humanitarian aid flotillas heading to Gaza in 2025 and 2026.

At the end of 2025, the Anti-Terrorism Public Prosecution asked a Parisian investigating judge to investigate war crimes, after two French children were killed in an Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip in October 2023, ruling out at the same time the use of the classifications of genocide and crimes against humanity, according to a source familiar with the case.

© 2026 AFP

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.