Michigan civil rights group suing federal government over airstrikes in Lebanon

The Arab American Civil Rights League has filed a lawsuit against the federal government and military contractors on behalf of citizens impacted by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.

The ACRL calls this a landmark case. Leaders stood in front of the Michigan Eastern District Courthouse in downtown Detroit to discuss details about its class action lawsuit.

"This lawsuit is about more than Lebanon. It's more than Israel. It's about more than any one administration. It's about whether the rule of law still means something in America," said Nasser Beydoun, chairman of the ACRL.

Beydoun is one of 17 plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit. His father spent 30 years working for Ford Motor Company to build a home in Lebanon. It was destroyed three days after Israel agreed to a ceasefire.

"We are American, and these are our homes. American citizens have watched their property that their families spent lifetimes building being destroyed in South Lebanon," Beydoun said.

Manufacturers Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Caterpillar, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio are named as defendants.

Nabih Ayad, the founder of the ACRL and lead attorney on the case, calls out Rubio directly.

"You've been handed down hundreds in the last year of credible gross human rights violations. Do your job," Ayad said.

The 85-page complaint contains 12 allegations, including violations of the Leahy Laws, which prohibit the U.S. military from providing aid to foreign security forces committing human rights abuses.

"We're asking the judiciary to stand up to do the right thing under these crises that we're facing right now; the world is watching," Ayad said.

The ACRL describes what's happening as Israeli exceptionalism.

"There cannot be one standard for the rest of the world and another standard of exceptionalism for the state of Israel," said Houda Berri-Harajli, executive director of the ACRL.

The ACRL says it's a battle worth fighting.

 "You will never destroy our faith. You will never destroy who we are. You will never destroy our culture. Our grandparents rebuilt. Our parents rebuilt. We will rebuild, and our children will rebuild if necessary," Berri-Harajli said.

CBS News Detroit reached out to the U.S. Department of State for comment and is awaiting a response.