Israeli attacks kill 11 in Lebanon, target health workers

Israeli attacks killed at least 11 people in southern Lebanon on Friday, including several healthcare workers, amid ongoing violence that has strained a US-mediated ceasefire.

The strikes occurred in the Tyre district, marking the latest in a series of attacks that raise questions about the durability of the shaky ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

More than 400 people have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect in mid-April. Israel says it will continue targeting the Hezbollah armed group, which opposed the Lebanese government’s agreement on the ceasefire.

Six people were confirmed dead in the municipality of Deir Qanoun en-Nahr, including two paramedics and a child. In a separate attack about 12 kilometers (7 miles) away in the town of Hannaouiyah, four paramedics were killed. Another man died in an attack on the southern city of Nabatieh.

Israel conducted several other air raids in southern Lebanon on Friday, targeting four villages in the Tyre district, according to the state-run National News Agency.

The Israeli military has repeatedly attacked health facilities and medical teams in Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of using them to conceal weapons and fighters.

The Lebanese government rejects that claim. It reports that since the latest escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in early March, 116 healthcare workers have been killed, 16 hospitals damaged, and 147 ambulances attacked.

Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine recently condemned the “systematic targeted destruction of the health sector.”

Israel returned to war with Iran-backed Hezbollah after the group declared its support for Tehran at the beginning of March.

Israeli attacks since then have killed at least 2,896 people in Lebanon, injured more than 8,824, and displaced more than 1.6 million – about one-fifth of the country’s population.

A ceasefire brokered by the United States took effect in mid-April, with negotiations marking the first direct diplomatic talks between Lebanon and Israel in more than three decades.

Last week, the ceasefire was extended by 45 days, but violence has continued, and Hezbollah has continued to trade attacks with Israel.

In August, the Lebanese government pledged to disarm Hezbollah, but the task has proven extremely difficult. The group retains significant influence in Lebanon and commands an armed wing stronger than the official state army.

On Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on nine individuals with links to the group, including Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon.

The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the remaining individuals worked in Lebanon’s parliament, military, and security sectors.

Lebanon’s military insisted on Friday that all of its soldiers are loyal, rejecting the sanctions that for the first time included an army officer accused of sharing information with Hezbollah.