Israeli Strike Kills 12 Medical Workers in Southern Lebanon as Regional Fighting Escalates

An Israeli strike on a health centre in the village of Burj Qalaouiyah in southern Lebanon killed 12 medical workers, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said. The attack occurred late on Friday in the Bint Jbeil District and struck doctors, paramedics and nurses who were on duty.

The Health Ministry described the incident as one of several recent strikes that have hit medical facilities and emergency personnel across the country. An earlier strike in the southern village of Souaneh hit a paramedic centre, killing two paramedics and wounding five, the ministry said.

Casualties and Wider Context

Lebanese authorities reported that 773 people have been killed in Lebanon since fighting between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on 2 March, with 18 of those fatalities identified as paramedics. The renewed clashes followed an exchange of strikes in late February and early March that has widened regional tensions.

"You can see how deadly some of these individual air strikes have been, not just across the south, but of course, we are seeing air strikes hitting across the capital, Beirut," said Al Jazeera's Heidi Pett, reporting from Beirut. She noted the toll among medical staff was preliminary as rescue teams continued searches for missing people.

Separately, the Lebanese News Agency (NNA) reported at least four people were killed in an Israeli air raid on Taamir Haret Saida in the south.

Hezbollah Operations and Statements

Hezbollah said overnight that it fired suicide drones at Israeli troops in the northern Israeli town of Ya'ara and reported rocket strikes against Israeli positions in Kfar Kila and Khiam in southern Lebanon. The group said these actions were among 24 military operations it announced on Friday.

Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said the movement was ready for a "long confrontation" with Israel. "This is an existential battle, not a limited or simple battle," he said.

Regional Strikes and Responses

Iran-launched rockets and missiles struck northern Israel's Upper Galilee early on Saturday, Channel 12 reported. Israeli authorities said a limited number of launches were intercepted or landed in open areas; footage shared by Israel's public broadcaster Kan showed damaged vehicles in some communities.

Alarms sounded across towns including Manara, Margaliot, Kfar Giladi, Misgav Am, Tel Hai, Metula and Kfar Yuval. Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from Amman, noted that cluster munitions were used in some launches: "They disperse these submunitions bomblets. Each of those has about 2.5kg (5.5lb) of explosives in them," he said, underlining the potential for widespread damage when air defenses do not intercept them.

Diplomatic Moves

French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X (formerly Twitter) offering to mediate a ceasefire. Macron said Lebanon's leadership was open to direct discussions with Israel and called on both sides to seize the opportunity to begin talks, urging Israel to halt its offensive and Hezbollah to cease actions to prevent Lebanon from "descending into chaos."

The Lebanese Health Ministry condemned the attacks and denounced continued violence against health workers, saying the strikes on medical facilities put civilian lives and the ability to deliver emergency care at grave risk.

Reporting from Beirut and regional bureaus continued to monitor developments as rescue teams searched affected sites and officials tallied casualties.