Lebanon says Israeli strike in south kills 12 medics

An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed a dozen medical staff at a clinic, Lebanese health authorities said Saturday, after Iran-backed Hezbollah’s leader said his group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the Tehran-backed militant group attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

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Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Friday his group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel, as the latter threatened to make Lebanon pay an “increasing price” in damage to infrastructure.

“We have prepared ourselves for a long confrontation, and God willing, they (Israelis) will be surprised on the battlefield,” Qassem said in his second televised address since the latest war began.

“This is an existential battle, not a limited or simple battle.”

Lebanese health authorities said an Israeli strike killed 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses working at a healthcare centre in the town of Burj Qalawiya, following another strike on the town of Sawaneh that left two paramedics affiliated with Hezbollah and its ally Amal dead.

Israel on Friday destroyed a bridge over the Litani River between the towns of Zrariyeh and Tayr Falsay, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. The river bisects southern Lebanon, from east to west.

In a statement, the Israeli military described the bridge as a “key crossing” for Hezbollah “from northern to southern Lebanon, to build up its power and prepare for combat.”

The attack was the first on Lebanese public infrastructure to be acknowledged by Israel since the start of the Middle East war.

“This is just the beginning and the Lebanese government, and the state of Lebanon will pay an increasing price in damage to Lebanese national infrastructure used by Hezbollah terrorists,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday.

He said Lebanon would suffer “loss of territory – until it fulfils its central commitment of disarming Hezbollah.”

Earlier this week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun offered to negotiate directly with Israel, but on Friday he said he had not received a response.

The Israeli military bombed several roads in southern Lebanon on Friday, according to the official National News Agency, blocking access from the north of the Litani River and from the Bekaa valley, an eastern area Hezbollah uses to transport weaponry.

The NNA also reported that Israeli shells hit a United Nations base hosting Nepali peacekeepers in the southern town of Mays al-Jabal.

A spokesperson for the UN secretary-general said they were aware of the reports and would provide further information “as soon as possible.”

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.

With AFP

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