An Israeli airstrike on a paramedics center linked to a Lebanese Sunni Muslim group in Hebbariye, south Lebanon, resulted in the tragic deaths of seven members early Wednesday. This incident also led to a retaliatory rocket attack from Lebanon that claimed the life of one person in northern Israel.
The strike occurred following a series of airstrikes and rocket exchanges between Israel’s military and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group along the Lebanon-Israel border. The escalation raised concerns about further violence in an area that has been volatile for the past five months during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The airstrike targeted an office of the Islamic Emergency and Relief Corps, as reported by the Lebanese Ambulance Association. This attack, one of the deadliest since the border tensions began, was condemned as a violation of humanitarian efforts by the paramedics association.
Residents of Hebbariye, including Ali Noureddine, witnessed the aftermath of the strike, with the bodies of the seven volunteers being recovered from the rubble. The Israeli military claimed that the strike hit a military building and targeted a member of Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, who was allegedly involved in attacks against Israel.
In response to the airstrike, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets towards the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona and a military base. Tragically, a 25-year-old man lost his life in Kiryat Shmona due to a direct hit that caused a fire in an industrial park. Additional rockets were fired from Lebanon towards northern Israel, resulting in one person sustaining minor injuries.
The ongoing violence between Hezbollah and Israel, which began after Hamas-led militants crossed into southern Israel, has claimed the lives of civilians and soldiers on both sides. International efforts are underway to prevent further escalation and a full-scale war in the region.
Despite the destruction and loss caused by these attacks, efforts to mediate and de-escalate the situation continue as the conflict persists along the Lebanon-Israel border.