By Peter Omopo
Israeli air and ground attacks in Lebanon have killed 394 people over the past week, including 83 children and 42 women, the Lebanese Health Minister, Rakan Nassereddine, announced on Sunday. The latest wave of violence also claimed the lives of nine rescue workers, highlighting growing concerns over attacks on medical teams and ambulances.
Lebanon was drawn into the escalating Middle East conflict on Monday, after Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
“These are civilians being targeted, not military personnel or installations. Homes, paramedics, and the health sector are being attacked,” Nassereddine said at a press briefing. “The pace of the massacres has increased in the past 48 hours, and medical teams remain under fire, which is unacceptable.”
A previous update from Saturday had reported 294 fatalities. The ongoing violence marks a continuation of Israel’s operations targeting Hezbollah, despite a 2024 ceasefire aimed at ending hostilities from earlier clashes in 2023 when Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of Hamas in Gaza.
Since Hezbollah’s latest strike, Israel has carried out multiple waves of attacks across Lebanon and deployed ground troops in border areas. Early Sunday, an airstrike on a hotel room in central Beirut killed four people and injured ten others. Israel’s military stated the attack targeted commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force.
In southern Lebanon, towns such as Ghazieh and Sir al-Gharbiyeh have been severely affected. In Ghazieh, a building was flattened, leaving debris as rescuers searched for survivors. In Sir al-Gharbiyeh, morning airstrikes killed at least 11 residents, including children. Nassereddine confirmed that some people remain trapped under rubble.
Local resident Ali Youssef Taha described the destruction: “A family was sleeping inside when Israeli warplanes bombed the building, resulting in a massacre.” Mayor Saadallah Mohammed Maatouk said around 500 families live in Sir al-Gharbiyeh and vowed, “What happened will not deter us, and we remain steadfast.”
On Sunday, the Israeli military warned residents south of Lebanon’s Litani River, approximately 30 kilometres north of the Israeli border, to evacuate the area. Israel also confirmed the deaths of two of its soldiers in southern Lebanon, the first casualties among its troops since the offensive began on March 2.
The intensifying conflict underscores the humanitarian toll in Lebanon and the broader regional tensions following the US-Israeli campaign against Iran and the retaliatory actions by Hezbollah.
