Lebanon accuses Israel of setting fire to a public hospital

Tit is located on the Blue Line that divides Israel from Lebanon, and since its foundation in 2002, it provides services to the district of Marjayún.

The Ministry of Health of Lebanon condemned the “barbaric crime committed by the Israeli enemy by setting fire” to this health unit, in a statement issued by the state news agency NNA, classifying what happened as a “ flagrant, brutal and indignant attack”.

The ministry stressed its efforts to “restor and rehabilitate” this hospital after the first clashes between Israel and the Shia party and militia Hezbollah, which included its equipment. “To serve as a lifeguard and safe refuge to serve our displaced people and those who resist in border areas,” he said.

Thus, he denounced that the hospital of Meis al Jabal “is being subjected to a systematic destruction that reflects moral failure and intrinsic crime” by Israel, which in his opinion “was not pleased to have occupied and transformed it into a military barracks, and today decided to burn it completely, thus depriving the southern population of its most basic human right to hospitalization and medical care”.

“ Attacking medical institutions and health personnel is a total war crime and a flagrant violation of international law,” he recalled, calling on the international community to “break immediately its suspicious silence and hold the occupation responsible for its repeated crimes against the Lebanese health sector.”.

In the statement, the Lebanese Government also assured that “these criminal acts will not break the will to resist, and the Ministry will not break the will to resist, and will continue to fulfill its national and humanitarian duty.”.

“ Supporting our people in the south with all available means, no matter the sacrifices”, he added.

Israel did not cease its military operations against its northern neighbour despite the principle of agreement reached on 26 June, with the mediation of the United States, which laid the foundations for a permanent ceasefire and included the restoration of Lebanese sovereignty in the south of the country, although also the disarmament of Hezbollah, which completely rejected this measure.

Since then, Israel has claimed security reasons and Hezbollah's refusal to the agreement to justify the continuation of its military operations in southern Lebanon, as part of the new invasion triggered after the group launched projectiles against the country in response to the joint offensive launched on 28 February by the United States and Israel against Iran.