A fact-finding mission designated by the newly created UN Human Rights Council has concluded that Israel broke international norms and human rights laws in Lebanon during its month-long conflict with Hizbullah militia.
Israel engaged in "a significant pattern of excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate force" against Lebanese civilians that amounted to "a flagrant violation" of international law, said the inquiry mission in a draft report.
The mission of three legal experts, which visited Lebanon from September to October, said "Israel failed to give adequate warning to Lebanese civilians of attacks, had not limited assaults to military targets."
"Cumulatively, the deliberate and lethal attacks" by the Israeli defence forces against civilians and infrastructure "amounted to collective punishment," it said.
The investigators focused specifically on Israel's use of large numbers of cluster bombs.
"Their use was excessive, and not justified by any reason of military necessity," the draft report said, concluding that "these weapons were used deliberately to turn large areas of fertile agricultural land into 'no go' areas for the civilian population."
The investigators also said they found no justification for attacks by Israeli forces against positions of the UN peacekeeping force, including one strike that killed four UN soldiers.
Quoting figures from the Lebanese government, the report said that Israeli attacks killed 1,191 people, wounded 4,409 and drove more than 900,000 people from their homes.
The attacks on the Lebanon's infrastructure would take years to rebuild, even with international help, it said.