The Occupation Escalates its Aggression on Lebanon: Systematic Targeting of Hospitals and Dozens of Martyrs and Injured

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced a new bloody toll due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, with 47 people martyred and 122 others injured in the past twenty-four hours. With these numbers, the total death toll since the beginning of March has risen to 1189 martyrs, amidst an escalation in air raids and military operations affecting various Lebanese regions.

Official reports issued by the Ministry revealed that among the martyrs were 124 children and 86 women, reflecting the heavy human cost of attacks targeting residential areas and civilian facilities. In a related context, the Lebanese army mourned one of its members, Muhammad Mufid Tufaili, who was martyred following an airstrike that targeted the town of Deir al-Zahrani in the Nabatieh region in the south of the country.

In a press conference held to highlight Israeli violations, Minister of Health Rakan Nasser al-Din affirmed that the health sector has become a direct target of the aggression, with 51 medical personnel and ambulance workers martyred. Nasser al-Din explained that these targeting aims to paralyze the state's ability to provide emergency medical care to the injured and displaced under the current circumstances.

The Minister pointed out that the attacks directly affected 9 hospitals, leading to the complete closure of 5 of them and their being out of service due to the damage they sustained. The Ministry also monitored 18 targeting of ambulance centers and damage to 48 medical vehicles, which constitutes a blatant violation of international laws that grant special protection to medical facilities during times of conflict.

The Lebanese government intends to take international action to confront these crimes, as the Ministry of Health confirmed that it is preparing a comprehensive legal file to submit to the UN Security Council. This move aims to document the systematic attacks on the health system and demand that the international community hold the occupation accountable for its deliberate targeting of paramedics and hospitals.

On the ground, sources reported that the occupation expanded the scope of its aerial aggression to include the southern suburbs of Beirut and wide areas in the Beqaa and the South, coinciding with attempts at ground incursions that began on March 3rd. These developments come after the collapse of previous understandings, leading to an explosion of military situations on multiple fronts, including mutual strikes and political assassinations.

In response, field operations continued in response to Israeli aggressions, with military groups targeting positions belonging to the occupation army in border areas. Field sources confirm that the current escalation is the most severe in years, as the occupation insists on continuing to destroy Lebanese infrastructure amidst international silence regarding the targeting of medical teams.

The Ministry will submit a complete legal file to the Council of Ministers in preparation for filing a complaint with the Security Council regarding Israeli aggressions against the health sector.