Israeli Strike Kills Three Lebanese Medics, Hezbollah Responds – Reuters

By Laila Bassam

CAIRO – Three Lebanese paramedics were killed, and two others were wounded—one critically—during an Israeli attack while they were responding to fires in the southern town of Faroun, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

The ministry stated that "Israeli forces targeted a team from the Lebanese Civil Defence as they fought fires caused by recent Israeli airstrikes," adding that the attack struck a fire truck.

In response, the Israeli military claimed that earlier on the same day, they targeted and eliminated members of the Amal terrorist organization operating within Hezbollah’s military structure in the vicinity of Faroun.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the attack, describing it as a breach of international law. He announced plans for an emergency meeting on Monday with Western ambassadors and international organizations to discuss the ongoing hostilities.

The health ministry reported that, due to Israeli aggression, 25 paramedics from different ambulance teams have lost their lives, along with two health workers, while 94 paramedics and health workers have sustained injuries.

Additionally, the ministry denounced the attack as a "blatant strike" against an official Lebanese state agency, marking the second assault on an emergency team within less than 12 hours.

Hezbollah responded by stating that it launched a "squadron of missiles" targeting an Israeli military headquarters in retaliation for the Faroun attack, resulting in casualties.

Since hostilities erupted on October 8, approximately 140 civilians have died as a result of Israeli bombardment in Lebanon, coinciding with the escalating conflict between the Israeli military and Hezbollah amidst the situation in Gaza.

The intensity of clashes between Hezbollah and Israel has increased steadily, leading to the displacement of tens of thousands of people on both sides of the Lebanese-Israeli border.