Two consecutive Israeli airstrikes on a building in southern Lebanon have killed five people, including three emergency workers, Lebanese officials report. The country's prime minister has labeled the attack a "war crime."
The Lebanese health ministry stated that the three rescuers, members of the state-run Lebanese Civil Defense, were deployed to aid those injured in the first strike in the town of Majdal Zoun on Tuesday. They became trapped under debris from the second strike and were later confirmed dead.
The two other fatalities have not been identified. Additionally, two Lebanese army soldiers were wounded in the assault.
The Israeli military has not yet responded to requests for comment. Previously, it has failed to clarify attacks on health professionals during rescue missions. This tactic, known as a "double-tap" strike, involves an initial attack followed by one or more subsequent strikes, often hitting civilians and rescuers. Israel has employed this strategy in both Lebanon and Gaza.
Human rights organizations assert that deliberate attacks on health workers may constitute war crimes.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah—the Lebanese militia and political party backed by Iran—began on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel. Israel retaliated with extensive airstrikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
Since the conflict escalated, over 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 103 health professionals, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians but reports that at least 270 women and more than 170 children are among the dead.
In Israel, two civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks, while 16 Israeli soldiers and one civilian have died in Lebanon, Israeli authorities say.
The attack occurred amid a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that has reduced hostilities but not ended the war, particularly in southern Lebanon. Israel claims its actions respond to Hezbollah's violations of the agreement, though Hezbollah was not party to the deal but has indicated it would comply if Israel respected the terms.
The ceasefire text grants Israel the "right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks," language broad enough to justify any action.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the strike as a "war crime perpetrated by Israel" and denounced Israel's "ongoing violations of the ceasefire."
A 5-to-10-kilometer-deep strip along the border, about 5% of Lebanon's territory, remains under Israeli occupation. Israeli officials aim to create a security buffer zone to protect northern communities.
Israel continues airstrikes, stating it hit Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing "three Hezbollah terrorists" who attacked its soldiers. The previous day, it struck the eastern Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Hezbollah claims it is responding to multiple Israeli violations and has launched rocket and drone attacks on Israeli troops in Lebanon and northern Israel.
An Israeli soldier was killed in southern Lebanon by a drone attack on Sunday, and another was severely wounded in a separate drone attack on Monday, according to the Israeli military. An Israeli defense ministry civilian contractor was also killed by a drone while operating an excavator in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
Lebanon has repeatedly accused Israel of deliberately targeting health workers during the war. Last week, authorities said an Israeli attack prevented rescuers from reaching journalist Amal Khalil, who was found dead when teams eventually accessed the site. Lebanese officials accused Israel of targeting Khalil, a claim the military denied.
Earlier this month, Israel conducted three successive attacks on paramedics responding to an earlier strike, killing four, Lebanese officials reported. One paramedic had been featured in a BBC report.
Kristine Beckerle, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Amnesty International, stated last month that "deliberately striking medics performing their humanitarian functions is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and could constitute a war crime."