Beirut strike kills medics as war in Lebanon widens
Event date: 2024-11-22. An Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs killed at least five healthcare workers and ripped through a multistorey building, as the fighting in Lebanon continued to spread beyond the front line in the south. The same day also brought new reports of damage to a UN peacekeeping base and fresh Israeli ground movement in southern Lebanon.
According to the evidence packet, Israeli warplanes hit two buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs. One missile struck the middle of an 11-storey building on a busy street in Chiyah, a heavily populated area with shops, a gym and apartments. The impact caused a fireball and the structure collapsed inward, scattering debris across the road. Residents fled after Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee warned on X that the military would strike Hezbollah facilities and interests in the area. Evacuation orders also covered Haret Hreik and Ghobeiry.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said at least five healthcare workers from the Islamic Health Organization were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. Three died in Qatrani in the Jezzine district and two others were killed in Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain. The ministry called the killings war crimes. The same report said Israeli strikes also killed Ali Allam, the director general of Dar al-Amal University Hospital, in Baalbek, and killed six other people in the nearby town of Douris.
The violence was not limited to air attacks. The National News Agency said Israeli troops entered Deir Mimas for the first time, while Hezbollah said its fighters targeted Israeli soldiers there with rockets and artillery. In the town of Khiam, Hezbollah said it repeatedly attacked advancing troops. Israeli forces also issued warnings for parts of Tyre and nearby locations, and said they struck Hezbollah command headquarters, intelligence sites, weapons depots and observation posts there.
The packet also says four Italian soldiers serving with UNIFIL were wounded when two rockets hit a UN peacekeeping base in Chamaa. Italy’s defence ministry said the rockets struck a bunker and a room near the military police headquarters. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the attack, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said attacks on UNIFIL were a grave and unacceptable violation of international law.
The broader picture was one of escalation after months of cross-border fire that turned into open conflict in September. The report says more than 3,600 people had been killed in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since October last year and more than 15,000 wounded. In that setting, the strike on Chiyah stood out not only for its destruction, but also because healthcare workers were among the dead.
The strike also highlighted the shrinking space for civilians and aid workers in Lebanon. A residential building in a crowded suburb was hit at the same time that military warnings and evacuations were spreading through the area. The death of medics underlined how the war was no longer confined to combatants or border villages. It was reaching into city neighborhoods, clinics and the workers who had tried to stay behind.
