Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed 10 people, including six paramedics and a child, within a 24-hour period, Lebanon's health ministry reported on Friday. The attacks place further strain on a US-brokered ceasefire that has been tenuously holding since last month. The ministry condemned the strikes as violations of international law.
Details of the Attacks
Further airstrikes were reported late Friday into Saturday. An AFP correspondent in the southern city of Tyre heard two blasts, with one building on the outskirts struck, followed by another inside the city, sending plumes of smoke into the air. Earlier, officials used loudspeakers to urge residents to evacuate affected areas.
Israel's military issued evacuation warnings for two areas of Tyre and the village of Burj Rahal to the northeast, stating that troops were acting against Hezbollah. The state-run National News Agency reported five Israeli airstrikes shortly before midnight in the mountainous Nabi Sreij area north of Brital, which had been spared from attacks since the ceasefire began.
Casualties and Responses
According to the health ministry, an Israeli strike overnight Thursday into Friday in the southern Lebanese town of Hanaway killed four paramedics from the Islamic Health Association. On Friday morning, a strike in Deir Qanoun En-Nahr in the coastal Tyre province killed six people, including two medics and a Syrian child.
The Israeli military stated that it struck Hezbollah infrastructure sites in Hanaway where militants were present. In Deir Qanoun En-Nahr, soldiers identified and struck two Hezbollah militants riding motorcycles. The Al-Rissala Scouts Association, linked to the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement, was involved. The military said it is examining claims that several uninvolved individuals were harmed and that it took steps to mitigate civilian harm by ordering evacuations.
The Lebanese health ministry released a video from Deir Qanoun En-Nahr showing two men in yellow vests tending to someone on the roadside. As an ambulance approaches, a flash and loud boom occur, and the men are seen lying on the ground. Reuters confirmed the location as the western edge of Deir Qanoun En-Nahr, which was hit by an earlier airstrike that killed 14 people, the deadliest single strike since the ceasefire was announced.
Broader Context
More than 3,100 people have been killed in Lebanon since March 2, when Hezbollah fired at Israel in the opening salvoes of a new war. The dead include 123 medics, 210 children, and nearly 300 women, according to health ministry statistics. International humanitarian law protects frontline responders, healthcare workers, and civilian infrastructure. Several hospitals in southern Lebanon have been damaged or put out of service by Israeli strikes, according to the World Health Organization.
