The World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned the killing of nine paramedics and wounding of seven others in five separate attacks on healthcare facilities in southern Lebanon. The incidents have severely disrupted health services, with four hospitals and 51 primary healthcare centers now closed or operating at reduced capacity.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern over the repeated strikes, which have impaired the local healthcare infrastructure. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reports that at least 1,189 people have been killed and over 3,427 injured in Israeli airstrikes across Beirut’s southern suburbs and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon since the start of renewed hostilities.

The attacks have sparked widespread concern, with Amnesty International calling for an end to the targeting of healthcare workers and facilities. The organization emphasizes that healthcare workers are protected under international humanitarian law and should not be targeted.