The World Health Organization confirmed Saturday that a dozen medical professionals lost their lives when a primary healthcare facility in Lebanon’s Bourj Qalaouiyeh area came under attack late Friday evening.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the organization had verified the deaths of 12 doctors, nurses, and paramedics at the medical center. “The killings in the last 24 hours of 14 health workers in southern Lebanon mark a tragic development in the escalating Middle East crisis,” Ghebreyesus wrote on the social media platform X.
The WHO chief also reported that two additional emergency medical technicians were killed earlier that day during an assault on a healthcare facility located in Al Sowana.
The attacks occurred amid ongoing military operations between Israel and Hezbollah, the influential Lebanese militant organization. Israeli forces have conducted widespread airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions, resulting in more than 770 casualties and forcing hundreds of thousands of residents from their homes. In response, Hezbollah has launched numerous rocket attacks into Israeli territory.
