Three Paramedics Killed in Successive Israeli Strikes in Lebanon
Three Lebanese paramedics have been killed in a series of successive Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, with Lebanese officials accusing Israel of deliberately targeting health workers.
The first incident occurred in the town of Mayfadoun, Nabatieh region, when a team from the Islamic Health Association was attempting to rescue individuals from the site of an Israeli strike. One paramedic was killed, and another remains missing.
Subsequently, a second Islamic Health Association team responding to the same location was also attacked, resulting in three wounded paramedics. Further attacks targeted two ambulances from the Risala Scout Association and the Nabatieh Ambulance Service that had deployed to the site, killing two paramedics and injuring three others.
One of the deceased was Fadel Serhan, a 43-year-old paramedic with the Risala Scout Association, a father of an eight-year-old girl.
The Lebanese Health Ministry has condemned the attacks as a “flagrant crime” and a “blatant violation that confirms a total disregard for all norms and principles established by international humanitarian law.”
Amnesty International previously stated that deliberately striking medics performing humanitarian functions is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and could constitute a war crime. The organisation highlighted that civilians, including healthcare workers, do not lose their protected status due to affiliation.
Since the conflict began in Lebanon on 2 March, over 2,100 people have been killed, including 91 health professionals, with more than 120 Israeli attacks recorded on ambulances and medical facilities.
