Israeli attacks on Lebanon kill 130+ medics in three months
Shafaq News- Beirut
At least 133 healthcare workers have been killed and 402 others injured in Lebanon since Israeli strikes resumed on March 2, the Lebanese Health Ministry revealed on Thursday.
The ministry also recorded 172 attacks on ambulance teams, strikes on 38 health centers, and disruptions at 17 hospitals, three of which were forced to suspend operations.
Local media reported that two people were killed when an Israeli drone struck their vehicle in the southern town of Kfartebnit. Israeli artillery also shelled the Ali Al-Taher heights, the Red Mountain area between Zibdin and Harouf, and areas surrounding Nabatieh Al-Fawqa.
The overall toll since March 2 has risen to 3,912 dead and 11,873 wounded, according to the ministry.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that the continuing escalation is causing civilian casualties, mass displacement, and severe restrictions on access to healthcare, while noting that paramedics are dying almost daily and rescue teams have been forced to modify their operations because of security risks.
An MSF emergency doctor in southern Lebanon, Dr. Mina Naguib, dismissed descriptions of the situation as a ceasefire. “We've seen Israel continue to issue forced displacement orders. We've seen ongoing airstrikes, drone attacks. We've seen thousands of deaths and injuries of all sorts affecting women, children, elderly.”
Hostilities in Lebanon have continued despite the US-Iran agreement aimed at ending military operations across all fronts, including Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would restore security to its northern region and insisted on maintaining “a security zone” inside Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, however, previously rejected any buffer or special security zones in southern Lebanon, insisting that Israel must withdraw. “There are no experimental zones, no safe zones for Israel, and no yellow, red or green areas … It will leave.”
Read more: US-Iran ceasefire deal leaves Lebanon without guarantees
