France Opens War Crimes Probe Into Beirut Strike That Killed Artist Ali Cherri's Parents

France's War Crimes Unit has opened a judicial investigation into the Israeli military's bombing of a Beirut apartment building in November 2024 — a strike that killed seven civilians, among them the parents of Franco-Lebanese artist and filmmaker Ali Cherri. Two investigating judges have been appointed to dig into the case, according to Deadline.

The strike landed on Nov. 26, 2024, only hours before a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was set to take effect. It tore through three floors of the block, killing Cherri's father Mahmoud Naim Cherri, his mother Nadira Hayek and the couple's domestic worker, Birki Negesa, along with the other victims.

The probe follows an official complaint Cherri and the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) filed with the unit six months ago. According to FIDH lawyer Clémence Bectarte, who coordinates the group's Litigation Action Group, it is the first judicial investigation into the Israeli army's actions in Lebanon since October 2023 — a claim attributed to <outlet>Deadline</outlet>. Bectarte said she hopes the investigation sheds full light on the bombing, which the complaint labeled a war crime.

Cherri divides his time between Paris and Beirut and ranks among Lebanon's best-known contemporary artists, with a Cannes Directors' Fortnight selection in The Dam and shows at the Guggenheim, Tate Modern and Jeu de Paume under his belt. His dual French and Lebanese nationality limits the French courts' reach: the investigation covers only the bombing of his family's apartment, not the events that killed the other victims, who were not French nationals.

Cherri said the opening of the investigation marks another important step in the fight against impunity and the push for justice. He said it is essential for his family that the probe establish responsibility and hold accountable those who ordered and carried out the bombing.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah flared in 2023 after the militant group ramped up attacks along Israel's northern border in the wake of Hamas's Oct. 7 assault. Israel's campaign in Lebanon, launched in September 2024 with airstrikes and a ground invasion, killed more than 4,000 people and displaced around one million. A fragile ceasefire has held since November 2024, though Israeli forces still occupy parts of southern Lebanon and sporadic skirmishes continue.