The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, has condemned fresh attacks on health workers in southern Lebanon, reporting that nine paramedics were killed in five separate incidents.
Mr Ghebreyesus, in a post on X on Saturday, said the attacks also left seven medics injured while on duty in the field.
He noted that the latest incidents have increased the number of health personnel killed in Lebanon in March to 51, making it the second deadliest month for health workers in the country since WHO began tracking such attacks in October 2023.
According to him, more than 120 health workers have also been wounded since the escalation of violence on 2 March, with most of the casualties recorded in southern Lebanon.
Attacks on health workers
Providing details of the incidents, Mr Ghebreyesus said teams of medics were struck while responding to emergencies across several villages.
In Zoutar al-Sharqiya, five health workers were killed, and two were injured, one critically.
In Kfar Tibnit, two health workers were killed while three others were wounded.
He added that one paramedic was killed in an attack on a health facility in Ghandouriyeh, while another died in a strike in Jezzine.
Two more were injured in an attack on Kfar Dajjal.
Mr Ghebreyesus warned that the repeated attacks are severely disrupting healthcare delivery in the region.
He said four hospitals and 51 primary healthcare centres have been forced to shut down, while several others are operating at reduced capacity due to damage.
“Health workers are protected under international humanitarian law and should never be targeted,” he said, calling for an immediate end to the attacks.
Impact of the conflict
The latest incidents come amid the ongoing US/Israel–Iran war, which has intensified in recent weeks and spread across multiple countries in the Middle East.
PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that the conflict escalated into a full-scale war after joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, triggering retaliatory attacks across the region.
Since then, the violence has increasingly affected civilian infrastructure, including health facilities and energy installations, raising concerns about access to essential services.
In Lebanon alone, Reuters reports that authorities say more than 1,100 people have been killed since early March, including children, while hundreds of health workers have been affected.
Across the region, thousands have been killed, with many more injured or displaced.
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Call for de-escalation
WHO has repeatedly warned that attacks on health facilities and personnel are worsening humanitarian conditions and weakening already fragile health systems.
Mr Ghebreyesus reiterated the agency’s call for restraint, urging all parties to prioritise the protection of civilians and health workers.
“The only way to end these tragedies is to end attacks on health care, now,” he said.
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