BEIRUT: A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Lebanon as Israel intensifies its strikes, with aid organisations warning they may be forced to suspend operations due to relentless attacks.
“If the security situation continues to deteriorate, we might have to leave certain areas. There are certain red lines we cannot cross for the security of our teams,” Jeremy Ristord, with medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), told Arab media.
He added that about 40 hospitals in the south of Lebanon are already closed.
“On top of that, rescue teams are already working under intense strain in adapting their interventions in the face of the degrading security situation,” said Ristord.
“Sometimes they’re not even able to intervene.”
Lebanese, Israeli officers to meet in Washington
Meanwhile, Lebanese and Israeli military delegations are set to hold security talks at the Pentagon on Friday with Beirut expected to demand an end to Israel’s attacks.
The talks come as the United States and Iran continue negotiations with Tehran, which insists that the conflict in Lebanon must be part of any broader agreement aimed at ending the Middle East war, according to AFP.
Lebanon’s delegation consists of six officers and is headed by the army’s director of operations, Georges Rizkallah.
Lebanon denounces Israeli attacks
Lebanese authorities have denounced Israeli attacks near UNESCO-protected historic sites and landmarks in the country’s south.
Culture Minister Ghassan Salame “made numerous contacts with his counterparts worldwide and relevant international organisations to draw their attention to the huge damage to archaeological sites and heritage districts” in south Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency said.
He highlighted the ancient city of Tyre and Beaufort castle in the Nabatieh district, emphasising that “a large number of these sites enjoy enhanced protection from UNESCO, making it necessary to protect them from any Israeli air or artillery attack.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on X that “nothing can justify the ongoing attacks on the Tyre and Nabatieh regions and the destruction of their historical landmarks.”
Israel has issued repeated evacuation warnings to swathes of the southern coastal city of Tyre in recent days and carried out heavy strikes.
