Lebanon’s Health Minister, Firas Al-Abyad, announced on Thursday that more than 40 emergency responders and firefighters have lost their lives in the past three days due to Israeli fire in Lebanon.
This tragic development has raised the total death toll among emergency workers since the escalation of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel nearly a year ago to 97.
During a press conference, Minister Al-Abyad stated that over 40 emergency workers had fallen victim in the last three days, emphasizing that the overall number of casualties now stands at 97.
This figure includes responders from both official state agencies and those associated with Hezbollah and other Lebanese factions.
The violence has intensified amid ongoing bombardments between Hezbollah and Israel, particularly in light of the recent conflict in Gaza.
Al-Abyad reported that Israeli fire has claimed the lives of 1,974 people in Lebanon, including 127 children, while injuring 9,384 others.
At a press conference in Geneva, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that 28 healthcare workers had been killed in Lebanon in just the past 24 hours.
He lamented that plans to send a significant shipment of medical supplies to Lebanon the following day had been thwarted due to the near-complete shutdown of Beirut’s airport.
Earlier this month, Israel announced a shift in focus from its operations in Gaza, where it has been engaged in conflict with Hamas since the attack on October 7, to Lebanon, aiming to secure its northern borders.
Since October 2023, Hezbollah has been engaged in daily confrontations with Israeli forces along the Lebanese border, having declared a front in support of its ally, Hamas. This escalation has led thousands of people to flee their homes on both sides of the border.
This week, Israel initiated a “limited” ground operation in southern Lebanon, coinciding with a ramp-up of airstrikes across the country. The situation continues to deteriorate, raising concerns over humanitarian conditions and the safety of civilians caught in the crossfire.
