An ambulance driving near rubble on a street in Tyre, after Israeli strikes, March 27, 2026. (Credit: Archive photo Yara Nardi/Reuters)
BEIRUT — Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine and Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar, both affiliated with Hezbollah, on Wednesday condemned the "heinous crime" Israel committed Tuesday when it targeted a group of first responders while on a rescue mission following an initial Israeli strike on a building in Majdal Zoun (Sour). Israel killed at least five people, including three Civil Defense workers who were on site searching for survivors under the rubble.
"This crime is not an isolated incident but part of a continued scorched earth policy and a strategy aimed at the foundations of Lebanese resilience," Nasreddine said in a statement published by the state-run National News Agency (NNA) that 103 people in the health sector have been killed since March 2, when Hezbollah entered the regional war.
The minister issued "an urgent appeal to international and U.N. organizations," urging them to "break their silence in the face of this systematic escalation," and asserting that "silence in the face of targeting the 'white vests' constitutes an attack on the very core of humanitarian values."
For his part, the labor minister stated that "the targeting of these heroes as they carry out their noble mission is not only a crime against Lebanon, but against all of humanity, and a desperate attempt to break the will of resilience and solidarity to which the Lebanese remain attached in the face of aggression." He also called on the international community to "assume its responsibilities."
These latest condemnations by Lebanese officials add to those voiced the day before by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. "Israel continues to violate international laws and conventions that protect civilians," Aoun said.
