Lebanese Health Ministry to evacuate hospitals in southern Beirut amid Israeli escalation

By Wassim Seifeddine

BEIRUT (AA) - Lebanon's Health Ministry announced Saturday plans to evacuate hospitals in southern Beirut as Israeli airstrikes escalate in the region.

In a statement, the ministry also urged hospitals in 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.

The evacuation comes after more than 40 Israeli airstrikes targeted neighborhoods such as Burj al-Barajneh, Kafaat, Choueifat, Hadath, and Lailaki. The strikes caused widespread destruction and fires, marking the heaviest bombardment in southern Beirut since the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

The Israeli military said the airstrikes targeted Hezbollah sites, including alleged weapons storage facilities. Hezbollah has denied these claims, stating that the buildings hit were not used for military purposes.

So far, the bombings have killed six people and injured 91, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry's Emergency Operations Center.

Israel's strikes are part of a broader campaign against Hezbollah, which has intensified over the past year. Since the conflict reignited, 726 people have died in Lebanon, including women and children, with more than 2,100 injured.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's onslaught in the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 41,500 victims, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of turning the Gaza conflict into a regional war.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara