Four hospitals out of service in Lebanon after Israeli attacks
At least four hospitals in Lebanon, including one near Beirut’s southern suburbs, announced Friday that they would suspend operations due to Israeli attacks on the country.
On Friday afternoon, Lebanese national news agency ANI reported that the perimeter of the Salah Ghandour hospital in Bint Jbeil, in the south of the country, had been “Target of Israeli artillery fire”. Mohammed Sleiman, director of the center run by the Islamic Health Committee, told AFP that seven medical staff were injured in a strike. “straight” at the hospital, adding that the facility had been evacuated.
A little earlier, the private Sainte-Thérèse hospital, near the southern suburbs, announced that it was ceasing its services due to bombing in the vicinity. The sister-run facility reported“immense damage” in a statement reported by the Lebanese national news agency ANI.
According to ANI, two public hospitals in southern Lebanon also suspended their operations. The Meiss El-Jabal hospital, located near the border with Israel, “It closed all its services”due to Israeli attacks and supply and access difficulties. The Marjeyoun hospital was forced to evacuate and close after Israeli bombing, its director told AFP.
Eleven rescuers died on Friday
The attacks hit rescuers from a Hezbollah-affiliated organization in front of the hospital entrance, while they were transporting the wounded, according to the director. “The Israeli attack targeted ambulances in front of the main entrance, causing panic among staff”stated Dr. Mouenes Kalakesh.
The Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee announced that eleven of its first responders were killed in Israeli bombings in the region on Friday, including seven at Marjeyoun hospital.
“Lack of staff and bombings forced us to close the hospital”added Dr Kalakesh, whose facility had been operational since the start of the escalation of Israeli raids on September 23. “For four days we no longer had an anesthetist or laboratory specialists, because many people fled”continuous.
To justify these attacks, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee reported “the increasing use of emergency vehicles by Hezbollah members to transport agents and combat equipment”. “Hezbollah uses ambulances of the Islamic Health Committee for terrorist purposes”he assured.
On Thursday, Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad announced that more than 40 rescuers and firefighters had been killed in Israeli attacks in three days. He said that since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in October, 97 rescue workers had died.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday called on the international community to pressure Israel to “allow rescuers to reach bombed locations to evacuate” the wounded.
