On 26 November 2024, the life of French-Lebanese visual artist and filmmaker Ali Cherri was turned upside down. He learned of the tragic news that his parents had been killed, along with five other civilians, in an Israeli airstrike in a residential apartment building in central Beirut.
The cruel irony of the matter was that the attack took place just a few hours before a ceasefire came into effect between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Now, Ali Cherri is taking legal action by filing a civil party complaint, along with the International Federation for Human Rights, in France for the war crimes committed by the Israeli army.
According to Ali, the complaint is significant as this is the first time in France that such a legal procedure has been taken against Israeli military action in Lebanon.
“We’re trying to create a precedent, and if we succeed, then maybe this complaint could put more pressure on the Israeli army,” Ali told The New Arab from his base in Paris.
“But there was also a sense of helplessness that we didn’t know if this was going to lead to anything. Now, there is concrete action with clear steps, even if it doesn’t reach the final end. But at least there is a will, a project to take this case to court, to seek justice, to hold the responsible accountable. We have been deprived of all these things in the past year.”
When the attack happened, impacting Ali’s parents, Mahmoud Naim Cherri and Nadira Hayek (along with their domestic helper, Birki Negesa), he was on board a flight.
“I called my parents right before taking the plane, and that was the last phone call I had with them,” recalled Ali.
“My flight landed, and we knew that our neighbourhood had been attacked. It was a very difficult moment because for a few hours we also were not sure if they were wounded and taken to the hospital or if they were even still alive.”
The next day, as the ceasefire went into effect, Ali travelled to Beirut to inspect the attack’s aftermath.
Two months later, he and his family decided to pursue action. It’s been more than a year, and the road ahead is long.
“I’m always thinking I’m doing this first and foremost for my family, to honour the memory of my parents. I’m aware this will have larger repercussions if we succeed,” Ali tells The New Arab.
“It’s already a lot to process. It’s going to be a long process, and I need to have energy to keep going for several years with this.”
At the moment, the case has been received by the French court. “It’s an administrative but an important first step,” explained Ali. “They agreed to consider the complaint. The second step is that the prosecutor general must decide whether to open an investigation and assign an investigating judge. This could take six months to a year.”
Mapping the strike
To investigate the attack, Ali commissioned Forensic Architecture, a research group of Goldsmiths, University of London, to scientifically document and analyse the site of the attack through 3D scans, carried out with drones flying over the building.
In the end, the team managed to identify the trajectory of the three bombs that hit the apartment.
“There was no military activity in this neighbourhood,” said Ali. “The attack was clearly done in a civilian area. There was no evacuation order, no claim of an assassination afterwards. For us, we don’t understand why my parents’ building was targeted. That’s what we’re hoping the investigation will clear.”
As for the final result of the case, regardless of the outcome, Ali has sought to have the attack documented for posterity.
“I don’t want to have high hopes,” he said. “But at least I think we are trying to hold people accountable for these actions. I think one important thing we have done is fully document a war crime from technical, forensic, and social aspects. It is an in-depth research document that will remain in the archives for the future.”
When Ali first made the announcement in April 2026, he received immense support on social media.
“I’ve been receiving so many messages from people who lost close ones or their houses,” he added. “It’s like everyone was waiting for someone to do something. All of a sudden, everyone put all their hopes and energy into this, which is great because this would be very helpful for the future.”
Ali says this interview will be his last on the sensitive subject matter. It has also been extensively covered by regional and international media, including Israel’s, all of which made him feel “overwhelmed,” as he said. Some outlets even reached out to the Israel Defence Forces and Israeli embassies for commentary on the case.
“We were expecting to have coverage from maybe Lebanon and France since the two countries are directly related to the complaint. What was surprising was the extent of the coverage. We had articles from Latin America, India, the US, the UK, from all over. So, I was surprised that the foreign press would be interested in a Lebanese-French case,” said Ali.
“We decided to go to the press. We needed this visibility and platform to highlight the case. I felt that it was part of my duty to pursue this legal process. I felt it was my responsibility to go all the way with it.”
Rawaa Talass is a freelance journalist focusing on art and culture emerging from the Middle East. Her work has been published in Art Dubai, Arab News, Al Arabiya English, Artsy, The Art Newspaper, Kayhan Life, Dubai Collection, and The National. Follow her on Instagram: @byrawaatalass
