Israel strike claims lives of 3 Hezbollah-linked paramedics

Amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, tensions have escalated with Hezbollah’s involvement, leading to increased violence across the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah reported that three of its volunteer paramedics were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting an emergency center in Odaisseh, a town in southern Lebanon. In response, Hezbollah launched Katyusha rockets towards Gesher Haziv, near Nahariya in northern Israel, although the Israeli military reported intercepting several of these rockets without any casualties.

This exchange of fire is part of the nearly daily hostilities that have erupted since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war in October, stoking concerns of a wider regional conflict. Hezbollah has actively targeted Israeli military positions, prompting retaliatory strikes from Israel against what it identifies as Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese Health Ministry has strongly condemned the Israeli raids, particularly criticizing attacks on medical personnel as unacceptable. Such incidents include previous Israeli strikes on Hezbollah facilities in Blida and Hanin, which resulted in the deaths of Islamic Health Committee paramedics and Hezbollah fighters.

The ongoing violence has resulted in significant casualties on both sides of the conflict, with a reported 299 people killed in Lebanon, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians, and 17 deaths in Israel, comprising soldiers and civilians.