Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Relations condemned Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, carried out one day after the ceasefire announced by Iran and the US in the Middle East.

“The intensification of this offensive follows last night’s announcement of a ceasefire in the armed conflict in the Middle East and threatens to plunge the region into a new escalation of violence and instability,” the ministry said in a statement. 

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The ministry notes that the attacks targeted extensive areas and left an initial toll of 254 dead and 1,165 wounded. The Brazilian government added that it defends Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Brazil urges Israel to immediately suspend its military actions and withdraw all its forces from Lebanese territory. It also calls on the parties involved to fully comply with the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006),” the statement reads.

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council, calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon with the creation of a buffer zone between the two countries to be controlled by the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Ceasefire violated

Despite the ceasefire announced by the US and Iran, Israel has launched its largest offensive in Lebanon since the start of the current phase of the conflict. 

Iran has threatened to break the ceasefire due to Israeli aggression, emphasizing that the agreement called for a truce on all battlefronts in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump has stated that Lebanon was not part of the agreement, but the ceasefire mediator, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, confirmed that ending the fighting in Lebanon was part of the talks.

Countries such as France, the UK, Spain, and representatives of the European Union have been pressing for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire agreement.

On Thursday, Lebanese President Masoud Pezershkian said that the continued attacks against Lebanon render negotiations to end the war “meaningless.”

Background

Israel’s airstrikes against Lebanon intensified with the outbreak of war in Iran, after Hezbollah resumed attacks against Israel on March 2.  

Hezbollah claimed it was acting in retaliation for Israel’s attacks on Lebanon in recent months and in response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah dates back to the 1980s, when the Shiite militia was formed in reaction to Israel’s invasion and occupation of Lebanon to persecute Palestinian groups seeking refuge in the neighboring country.

In 2000, Hezbollah succeeded in expelling Israelis from the country. Over the years, the group has become a political party with seats in Parliament and participation in governments.

Lebanon was also attacked by the Israeli government in 2006, 2009, and 2011.

The head of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Justice Edson Fachin, refuted accusations of censorship against digital platforms contained in a report by the US House Judiciary Committee released Thursday (Apr. 2).

Written by lawmakers who support President Donald Trump, the report states that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes committed acts of censorship against freedom of speech in the US by ordering the suspension of social media accounts belonging to Brazilians living in there who are accused of carrying out online attacks against Brazilian institutions.

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In an official statement, Justice Fachin said the report has “distorted characterizations” of the nature and scope of certain court decisions.

He also argued that the Brazilian legal system protects freedom of speech, but that this right is not absolute.

“It is understood that, in certain cases, freedom of speech may exceptionally be subject to specific limitations, particularly when these are necessary to preserve the effectiveness of another fundamental right. Similarly, one cannot invoke the right to freedom of speech to commit crimes defined by law,” he stated.

He also stressed that Justice Moraes’ orders to remove illegal content were issued as part of investigations into digital militias accused of committing crimes against democracy and attempting a coup d’état in Brazil.

“The legal framework established by the 1988 Federal Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, elevates freedom of speech to the status of a preferential right among fundamental rights. Other rights prevail over it only in exceptional cases, under the law, particularly in situations where freedom of expression is invoked to commit crimes defined by the law,” he added.