Lebanon to evacuate hospitals as Israeli airstrikes devastate southern Beirut

Lebanon’s Health Ministry Saturday announced plans to evacuate hospitals in southern Beirut as Israeli airstrikes intensify in the region.

In a statement, the ministry urged hospitals across Beirut, Mount Lebanon and other unaffected areas to suspend non-urgent cases until the end of the week to accommodate patients from the southern suburbs.

This evacuation follows over 40 Israeli airstrikes that targeted neighborhoods, including Burj al-Barajneh, Kafaat, Choueifat, Hadath and Lailaki.

The strikes caused extensive destruction and fires, marking the heaviest bombardment in southern Beirut since the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

The Israeli military stated that the airstrikes aimed at Hezbollah sites, including suspected weapons storage facilities. However, Hezbollah denied these allegations, asserting that the buildings struck were not used for military purposes.

The bombings have resulted in six fatalities and 91 injuries, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry’s Emergency Operations Center.

These strikes are part of a broader campaign against Hezbollah that has escalated over the past year. Since the resumption of conflict, 726 people have died in Lebanon, including women and children, and more than 2,100 have been injured.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in ongoing cross-border hostilities since the onset of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has claimed over 41,500 lives, predominantly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct.7.

The international community has expressed concern over the strikes on Lebanon, warning that they risk escalating the Gaza conflict into a regional war.