Lebanon's prime minister called the targeting and killing of civil defence rescuers in Majdal Zoun a "heinous crime" and a violation of international humanitarian law after two Israeli strikes killed five people, including three rescue workers. The Lebanese army reported two soldiers wounded in the second strike, which also hit rescue teams and civilian equipment. President Joseph Aoun and rights groups condemned the incident and urged international action, while Hezbollah has continued retaliatory rocket and drone attacks. The Health Ministry reported at least eight deaths nationwide that day, raising the toll from Israeli strikes since March 2 to 2,534 dead and 7,863 wounded.
Lebanon PM Denounces 'War Crime' After Double Israeli Strike Kills Three Civil Defence Rescuers
Smoke rises following explosions in southern Lebanon on April 28, 2026 [Shir Torem/Reuters]
Lebanon's prime minister has condemned what he described as a "heinous crime" after two successive Israeli strikes in the southern town of Majdal Zoun killed five people, including three civil defence emergency personnel who had gone to assist victims of the first attack.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the first strike hit a building and wounded people at the scene. A second strike struck the same location as rescue teams arrived, trapping some rescuers under rubble and ultimately killing three civil defence workers. The ministry said five people died in the two strikes.
"Targeting elements of the Civil Defence in Majdal Zoun, and their killing while carrying out their humanitarian duty, constitutes a new and described war crime perpetrated by Israel," Prime Minister Nawaf Salam wrote on social media. "It represents a flagrant violation of the principles and rules of international humanitarian law."
The Lebanese army reported that two of its soldiers were wounded in the second strike, which it said targeted army personnel, civil defence teams and two civilian bulldozers that were operating at the site. A Civil Defence spokesperson told Reuters the three rescuers were initially trapped beneath rubble after the second strike and were later confirmed dead.
Local media and military sources said an Israeli strike also hit a Lebanese patrol that had been escorting the civil defence team responding to the initial attack.
Despite a US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, air strikes have continued in parts of southern and eastern Lebanon, causing daily casualties. Hezbollah has said it is responding to Israeli ceasefire violations with rocket fire and drone operations into Israel and into areas of southern Lebanon it regards as occupied.
President Joseph Aoun described the deaths as the latest in a "series of attacks that targeted relief and first aid workers," saying they "indicate that Israel continues to violate international laws and conventions that protect civilians, paramedics, Civil Defence personnel, the Red Cross, and workers in the fields of rescue, first aid, and medicine."
Human Rights Watch researcher Ramzi Kaiss urged the international community to act, saying perceived silence had emboldened the Israeli military and calling on allies—including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and EU states—to suspend arms transfers and consider targeted sanctions against officials credibly implicated in grave crimes.
The Health Ministry said at least eight people were killed across Lebanon on Tuesday. It gave the cumulative toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon since March 2 as 2,534 dead and 7,863 wounded.
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