Israel has killed three Lebanese civil defence rescuers in a strike on the southern town of Majdal Zoun despite the current ceasefire.
A rescuer told The National that Israeli jets struck as crews evacuated the wounded and retrieved bodies from an earlier attack that the Lebanese military said had injured two service members.
The civil defence said that rescue efforts were under way after three of its members had been trapped under rubble by the first attack.
Such double-tap strikes – when the same location is bombed twice in quick succession, often when rescue workers are on the scene – have been reported repeatedly in Lebanon.
Majdal Zoun lies outside the so-called “yellow line” boundary for land occupied by Israel. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called it “a clear war crime”. President Joseph Aoun said it showed Israel’s continued violation of the international law protecting rescuers and civilians.
Israel had issued displacement orders to residents of more than a dozen villages and towns in southern Lebanon earlier in the day. The strikes came despite a US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon in recent weeks, which has left Israel occupying parts of the country.
Lebanon’s UN envoy Ahmad Arafa said on Tuesday that Beirut would not cede any territory to Israel and accused it of undermining mediation efforts and continuing attacks.
“We reiterate that the Lebanese government will not compromise on a single metre of Lebanese territory, and we will not accept any form of occupation,” Mr Arafa told the UN Security Council.
Lebanon remained committed to diplomacy aimed at securing a lasting ceasefire, but warned that conditions on the ground were deteriorating, he added.
“While the diplomatic track is progressing and Lebanon is seriously engaged in that path, developments on the ground remain extremely dangerous,” he said.
He accused Israel of continuing to violate Lebanese sovereignty through attacks inside the country.
“They are targeting civilians, medical personnel, hospitals, journalists, Lebanese security services and Unifil forces,” Mr Arafa told council members. Unifil is the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
“What’s more dangerous, in our view, is Israel’s undermining of the credibility of the guarantor states of the 2024 cessation of hostilities declaration,” he said. “These are France and the United States, and they are currently undermining the efforts undertaken by the United States aimed at de-escalation and advancing sustainable, peaceful solutions.”
