Israeli Strike Kills Three Lebanese Paramedics in Faroun

Three Lebanese paramedics were killed in an Israeli attack in Faroun while extinguishing fires. One paramedic is critically wounded. The attack, condemned by Lebanon's health ministry, hit a fire truck. This escalation comes after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, drawing Hezbollah into cross-border clashes.

Three Lebanese paramedics lost their lives, and two others were wounded, one critically, in an Israeli attack while putting out fires in the southern town of Faroun, according to Lebanon's health ministry on Saturday.

The ministry stated, "Israeli forces targeted a team from the Lebanese Civil Defence as they responded to fires sparked by recent Israeli airstrikes," noting that the strike hit a fire truck. The ministry condemned the incident as a "blatant strike" on an official Lebanese state apparatus, marking the second such attack on an emergency team within 12 hours.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment. The intensity of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict has been steadily increasing, displacing tens of thousands along the Lebanese-Israeli border after Hamas launched an attack on Israeli territory on Oct. 7, resulting in 1,200 deaths and more than 200 hostages taken to Gaza. Hezbollah has since been drawn into cross-border clashes in southern Lebanon.

(With inputs from agencies.)