EU ‘strongly’ condemns Israeli killing of paramedics in Lebanon
The EU on Friday “strongly” condemned the killing of 12 paramedics in an Israeli strike near Baalbek district in eastern Lebanon.
“Attacks on healthcare workers and facilities are a grave violation of international humanitarian law. The protection of medical personnel in conflict zones is non-negotiable,” Josep Borrell, bloc’s foreign policy chief, said on X.
“This pattern of targeting healthcare mirrors appalling trends in other conflicts, from Syria to Ukraine or Sudan. Be it reckless disregard or deliberate targeting, this is a blatant assault on human dignity, endangering lives & flagrantly violating fundamental human rights,” he said in another X post.
An Israeli airstrike targeted the town of Douris late Thursday, causing the collapse of the civil defense center and the destruction of an adjacent building, according to the National News Agency.
Israel this September launched an air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are targets of the Hezbollah group, in an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare.
The Israeli military pressed on Saturday with its days-long bombing campaign targeting an area near Beirut, while in the country’s south, Israeli airstrikes killed two more paramedics, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, NYT reported.