Daijiworld Media Network - Beirut

Beirut, Mar 15: The Lebanon Ministry of Public Health has strongly rejected allegations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that ambulances in Lebanon are being used for military purposes, calling the accusations an attempt to justify what it described as “crimes against humanity.”

In a statement, the ministry said Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted ambulance teams during rescue operations since the start of the offensive in Lebanon. It cited a strike on a primary healthcare centre in the southern village of Burj Qalaouiyeh early Saturday, describing the facility as a civilian medical centre operating under the ministry’s supervision.

According to the ministry, the attack killed 12 medical workers — including doctors, nurses, and rescue personnel — while one health worker was seriously injured and four others remain missing.

Officials added that since March 2, Israeli strikes have killed 26 paramedics and injured 51 others. The ministry said the attacks have increasingly targeted emergency teams and even affected personnel from the Lebanese Red Cross, marking the first such incidents involving the organisation since October 2023.

The ministry argued that Israel’s claims that ambulances are being used for military purposes are meant to justify actions that violate international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which protect medical staff and facilities during armed conflicts.

Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli military spokesperson posted on the social media platform X accusing Hezbollah of extensively using ambulances for military activities and warned that such practices must stop immediately.

The latest tensions follow rocket launches by Hezbollah from Lebanon toward Israel on March 2 — the first since a ceasefire that came into effect on November 27, 2024. In response, Israel launched a renewed military campaign targeting multiple locations in southern and eastern Lebanon as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut.