As Israel intensified its military operations in Lebanon, launching a ground incursion against Hezbollah, the Israeli military on Thursday (September 3) warned people in Southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate communities outside a UN-declared buffer zone. The Israeli military urged people to evacuate the Nabatieh region and other communities north of the Litani River, citing plans to further intensify the ground operations launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group.
It is important to note that the recent escalation of tensions between Israel and Hezbollah has resulted in significant casualties on Hezbollah's side, with several of its top commanders killed, including its chief, Hassan Nasrallah. On Friday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have eliminated another senior Hezbollah figure, Mahmoud Yusef Anisi.
In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces said Anisi was involved in Hezbollah’s precision-guided missile manufacturing chain in Lebanon. "Anisi joined Hezbollah over 15 years ago and was one of the leaders of the Hezbollah PGM campaign in Lebanon. He was a significant source of knowledge with many technological abilities in the field of weapons manufacturing. The IDF will continue operating against the threat of Hezbollah," the statement added.
Notably, in addition to casualties reported by Hezbollah, hundreds of civilians have also lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon since mid-September. According to the Lebanon Health Ministry, at least 1,276 people have died since the conflict re-escalated in the region.
Medical Care Worst Affected
Moreover, the deadly conflict has severely crippled medical care in Lebanon, with officials reporting that Israeli strikes hit around nine hospitals and 45 healthcare centers. While the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 28 of its health workers were killed in Lebanon over the past day, the Lebanese Red Cross confirmed that four of its paramedics were wounded and one Lebanese army soldier was killed while evacuating wounded people from the south.
The Red Cross society mentioned that the convoy, accompanied by Lebanese troops, was targeted near the village of Taybeh despite coordinating its movements with UN peacekeepers. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
In the aftermath of the incident, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, "The health system’s capacity in Lebanon is deteriorating. WHO’s medical supplies cannot be delivered due to the near-complete closure of Beirut’s airport."
WHO has called for urgent facilitation of flights to deliver health supplies to Lebanon, emphasizing that "lives depend on it."
(With inputs from agencies)
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