Lebanon files a complaint against Israel with the UN labor organization over deadly pager explosions, the minister says

GENEVA (AP) — A Lebanese government minister said Wednesday that his country has filed a complaint against Israel with the U.N. labor agency over the series of deadly attacks involving exploding pagers. He said workers were among the dead and injured.

The explosions in mid-September were the blame is largely attributed to Israelhas neither confirmed nor denied involvement. The explosions at least 37 people killedincluding two children, injured more than 3,000 and deeply unsettled even Lebanese without ties to Hezbollah.

Lebanese Labor Minister Moustafa Bayram said he had traveled to Geneva to formally file the complaint against Israel with the International Labor Organization, a sprawling U.N. agency that brings together governments, companies and workers.

Bayram said the number of casualties was even higher than first reported, saying that “more than 4,000 civilians fell in a few minutes from this attack – among martyrs and wounded and maimed.”

“This method of warfare and conflict may open the way for many who evade international humanitarian law to adopt this method of warfare,” the minister told reporters at the UN complex in Geneva.

“It is a very dangerous precedent, if not condemned,” he said. “We are in a situation where ordinary objects – objects used in everyday life – are becoming dangerous and deadly.”

Speaking in Arabic, Bayram emphasized that ILO conventions guarantee the safety and security of workers, who “were at their workplace and their pagers or walkie-talkies suddenly exploded,” according to an interpreter.

“I don’t know where the outcome (of the complaint) will go, but at least we have raised our voices to say and warn against this dangerous approach that affects human relations and leads to more conflict,” he added to.

An ILO spokeswoman said she was not immediately aware of the complaint and did not know what recourse it might have.