Lebanon Says Israeli Strikes on Medics Deliberate

(MENAFN) Lebanon's Health Ministry has leveled a direct accusation against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), charging that Israeli airstrikes are deliberately targeting medical personnel — as a fresh wave of attacks left 51 people dead, including two paramedics, in what officials are calling a systematic assault on humanitarian infrastructure.

The strikes continue despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that took effect in mid-April, with Israeli military operations showing no sign of abating.

"The Israeli enemy continues to violate international laws and humanitarian norms, adding more crimes against paramedics, as it directly targeted two points of the Health Authority in Qalawiya and Tibnin, Bint Jbeil district, in two raids," the ministry said in a statement Sunday.

A Death Toll That Keeps Rising
Since Israel launched its military operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon on March 2 — just days after joining the U.S. in striking Iran — the conflict has claimed 2,846 lives, according to Lebanese Health Ministry figures. Critically, more than 550 of those deaths occurred after the ceasefire was introduced, raising urgent questions about the truce's viability.

The UN has documented at least 103 Lebanese medical workers killed and a further 230 injured across more than 130 IDF strikes during the current escalation alone.

A Pattern Stretching From Gaza to Lebanon
The accusations echo longstanding charges against Israel stemming from the conflict in Gaza, where West Jerusalem has previously defended strikes on ambulances and hospitals by asserting they were being used by Palestinian armed group Hamas.

War surgeon Tahir Mohammed, who has operated in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, told Al Jazeera that "we used to see our colleagues in Gaza come through the door all the time. I've had colleagues, nurses, medical students killed by Israeli weapons, and so to see the same policy of targeting healthcare workers in Lebanon… it's consistent."

IDF Responds: Strikes Hit Hezbollah Military Infrastructure
The IDF pushed back Sunday, stating it had struck more than 20 Hezbollah facilities across several areas of southern Lebanon, describing the targets as weapons depots, command centers, and other "buildings used for military purposes."

Lebanon's Prime Minister: 86 Villages Still Occupied
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told media on Sunday that 86 villages in southern Lebanon remain under Israeli occupation. The city of Bint Jbeil, he said, has become "a copy of Gaza" given the sheer scale of destruction visited upon it.

Despite the carnage, Salam indicated Beirut remains open to a peace agreement with West Jerusalem — contingent on the fulfillment of core conditions, chief among them a full withdrawal of IDF troops from Lebanese territory.

MENAFN11052026000045017169ID1111097206