23 Dead in Lebanon, Occupation Threatens to Target Medical Teams and Expand Ground Operations

The early hours of Saturday witnessed a bloody military escalation on the Lebanese front, as the Israeli occupation army intensified its airstrikes and artillery shelling on various areas, resulting in the martyrdom of at least 23 people. The attacks notably focused on medical teams and relief centers, a move reflecting the occupation's determination to disrupt the healthcare system in the targeted areas.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced a massacre in the town of Burj Qalawiyah in the Bint Jbeil district, where an Israeli raid targeted a primary healthcare center, leading to the martyrdom of 12 doctors, paramedics, and nurses while performing their humanitarian work. The ministry clarified that this attack is the second of its kind within a few hours after paramedics were targeted in the town of Al-Sawana.

In a related context, the Israeli occupation army issued explicit threats to target medical facilities and ambulance vehicles across Lebanese territories, claiming their use for military purposes by Hezbollah. These threats come at a time when Lebanese hospitals are suffering immense pressure due to the increasing number of wounded and injured as a result of the continuous raids.

On the ground, the death toll from the massacre committed by the occupation in the Al-Rahibat neighborhood of Nabatieh city rose to 7 martyrs, while 4 other citizens were martyred as a result of shelling that targeted a residential apartment in the Taamir Haret Saida area in the south of the country. The raids also hit the Al-Nabaa area in Burj Hammoud for the second time in one day, causing widespread property damage.

Regarding ground movements, media sources revealed Israeli plans to significantly expand ground operations in southern Lebanon, with the aim of imposing full control over the area south of the Litani River. This coincided with new evacuation orders issued by the occupation army for residents of wide areas in the south, portending a wave of displacement and broader military escalation.

For its part, Hezbollah responded with a series of intensive military operations, announcing the targeting of gatherings of occupation soldiers in the vicinity of the towns of Khiam, Maroun al-Ras, and Adaysseh with rocket salvos and artillery shells. Field sources confirmed that the resistance targeted newly established occupation sites in 'Balat' and 'Nimr al-Jamal' opposite the border town of Alma al-Shaab.

In a qualitative development, Hezbollah launched an attack with a swarm of kamikaze drones targeting the 'Stella Maris' and 'Ein Shemer' bases east of Hadera, in addition to the 'Ein Zeitim' base north of the occupied city of Safed. Rocket shelling also hit the settlements of Metula and Kiryat Shmona, achieving direct hits among the military forces stationed there.

At the international level, reports indicated that Israeli shells fell inside the headquarters of the Nepalese battalion of 'UNIFIL' forces in the town of Mays al-Jabal, which the Nepalese consulate in Beirut considered a blatant violation of international law. Despite no casualties among the international soldiers, the incident increases the tension surrounding the missions of international forces in the south.

Politically, diplomatic sources quoted Israeli officials as intending to continue the war in Lebanon even after the end of any potential military operations against other regional parties. Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz threatened that the Lebanese state would pay an 'increasing price' in its infrastructure, in reference to the occupation's intention to expand the circle of destruction to include vital facilities.

Official statistics indicate that the toll of the expanded Israeli aggression since the beginning of March has reached 773 martyrs, including more than one hundred children, while the number of injured has exceeded 1900. Military operations have also caused the displacement of more than 830,000 Lebanese from their villages and cities, amid extremely difficult humanitarian conditions.

In the Beqaa region, the sons of the official in the Islamic Group, Youssef Al-Dahouk, were martyred in a raid that targeted the town of Bar Elias, and Sheikh Hassan Ghandour was martyred in another raid that targeted his home in the town of Nabatieh Al-Fawqa. Rescue teams continue to search for missing persons under the rubble of destroyed buildings in several Lebanese areas despite the intensive drone flights.

In the capital Beirut, Israeli planes dropped leaflets over the areas of Verdun, Hamra, and Ain al-Mreisseh, which included inciting messages calling for the disarmament of the resistance. This comes at a time when Lebanese political leaders have affirmed that resistance remains the only option to confront the occupation's plans that target Lebanon's sovereignty and national existence.

This attack on the primary healthcare center in Burj Qalawiyah is the second within hours, and it comes as part of a series of deliberate targeting of medical teams.