Lebanese Americans File Class Action Lawsuit Against US Government and Defense Contractors Over Lebanon War Violations

Dozens of Lebanese Americans have initiated a class action civil lawsuit targeting the US government and multiple defense contractors, alleging that their support for Israel's military campaign in Lebanon breaches a federal statute prohibiting aid to foreign governments involved in human rights abuses.

The legal action was formally lodged on Tuesday within the US District Court in Michigan, listing Secretary of State Marco Rubio alongside major defense corporations Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Caterpillar as defendants.

The plaintiffs comprise the Michigan-based Arab American Civil Rights League alongside 16 individual US citizens who own property in Lebanon that has suffered damage from what they characterize as disproportionate and indiscriminate force employed by Israel during the conflict.

Among the plaintiffs is Nasser Beydoun, a well-known Michigan businessman and politician who states in the court filing that Israeli military units demolished his family property in Bint Jbeil, located in southern Lebanon, without any legitimate military justification.

The complaint asserts that by providing financial backing and weaponry utilized in this manner, the US government breaches the Leahy Law, which forbids military assistance, equipment provision, or training to foreign armed forces credibly associated with severe human rights violations.

Furthermore, the plaintiffs contend that defense contractors supplying equipment to Israel should be stopped, arguing these firms knowingly facilitate illegal military actions during the ongoing conflict.

“The law is very clear and has been enforced around the world, but when it comes to Israel, there is zero enforcement,” stated Nabih Ayad, an attorney and leader of the Arab American Civil Rights League, during a Wednesday statement. Regarding the Lebanon conflict, Ayad added, “You have credible information about gross human rights violations that have happened…yet you are doing nothing about it.”

Earlier this June, US President Donald Trump acknowledged Israel’s indiscriminate deployment of force in Lebanon, commenting, “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody.”

The lawsuit aims to establish class-action status representing what organizers estimate to be tens of thousands of Lebanese Americans holding property in Lebanon that has already sustained damage or remains at risk from Israeli air strikes and military operations.

Historically, the Arab American Civil Rights League has spearheaded several prominent civil rights legal battles, including a legal challenge against the prior Trump administration's travel restrictions commonly referred to as the “Muslim ban”, litigation against major financial institutions regarding discrimination against Muslim and Arab Americans, and a 2023 lawsuit demanding US assistance to evacuate American citizens stranded in Gaza.