Medics in south Lebanon say they are being targeted

Lebanese health workers and officials report that Israeli air and artillery strikes have repeatedly hit medical facilities, ambulances and first responders across south Lebanon. They say some attacks look deliberate, including multiple incidents where an initial strike is followed by a second strike after rescuers arrive.

What the numbers show

  • Since the fighting began on 2 March, the Lebanese ministry of health says at least 128 medical facilities and ambulances have been struck.
  • That reporting lists 40 healthcare workers killed and 107 wounded.
  • The same ministry says in 17 days of fighting more than 1,000 people were killed and 2,584 wounded in the south.

How medics describe the attacks

Eyewitnesses and medical staff described strikes that hit people while they were sitting in ambulances or working at first aid stations. They reported at least five incidents that match the pattern known as double-tap strikes. In this tactic, an initial strike hits an area, rescuers move in, and a second strike follows.

Medical workers say many of the facilities hit belong to the Islamic Health Association, which works with the Lebanese ministry of health. Other groups affected include the state civil defence service, the Amal movement health service, a local charity and the Lebanese Red Cross.

Legal and moral questions

Under international law, medical staff and hospitals are protected. Human rights groups note that deliberately attacking medical teams could amount to a war crime. Amnesty International has said medical workers are civilians and targeting them is unlawful regardless of political ties.

Claims and counterclaims

The Israeli military has accused Hezbollah of using ambulances for military purposes and has said it will act within international law if that is true. Observers and Lebanese health officials say no evidence has been provided to support that claim. Reporters who visited several destroyed medical centres and inspected damaged ambulances found no signs that the sites were being used for military action.

Voices from the ground

Abdullah Nour el-Din, head of emergency response for the Islamic Health Association south of the Litani River, said the aim appears to be to force people to leave the area. He stood among destroyed ambulances and said his teams are there to help people stay on their land.

He described people returning home because they could not find shelter farther north only to have their houses hit shortly after. When first responders rushed to help, some of those teams were struck as well.

Another example came on 8 March, when an emergency response centre in Zifta was completely destroyed. Two employees were killed and another was left paralysed. The centre also hosted a municipal police station and collapsed into rubble.

Life-saving work turned into survival work

Paramedics described the precautions they have taken because they fear being targeted. Teams were reduced from three members to two. Staff avoid visiting family during shifts. Many sleep in ambulances parked far from each other so a single strike will not kill multiple responders.

Ali Nasr al-Din, who runs a civil defence centre, said his team tries to be plainly visible to the drones overhead so they are clearly medics. He added that precautions only matter if the other side respects ethics and international law.

Hospitals are under severe strain

Hospitals in the south report a heavy load of casualties and traumatic scenes. At Nabih Berri governmental hospital in Nabatieh, staff treated people with severe burns after a petrol station was hit. Medical leaders say the bombing this time feels harsher than in the previous round of fighting.

Dr Hassan Wazni, head of the Nabatieh hospital, said fewer wounded are arriving and more people are already dead when they reach care. Staff at the hospital have also been injured by nearby strikes that shattered glass and damaged the perimeter.

Paramedics describe intense personal losses. One responder who reached the site of a collapsed home realised it was his parents house that had been hit.

Why this matters

Medical workers argue that attacking health services not only causes immediate deaths and injuries but also makes it harder for people to survive day to day. They say the pattern of strikes looks like part of a broader strategy to make life in parts of south Lebanon unlivable.

Despite fear and loss, many medics say they keep working because they do not see another option. As one first responder put it, they returned to help because this is their home.