Smoke rises from the Mais al-Jabal government hospital on Sept. 18, 2026. (Credit: Photo provided by Mountasser Abdallah/ L'OLJ)
SOUTH LEBANON — The Israeli army set fire to the government hospital in Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun) and its surroundings on Friday afternoon, our correspondent in southern Lebanon reported. A video provided by him shows black smoke rising from the building.
The Health Ministry condemned the attack in a statement, saying that "targeting medical institutions and health personnel constitutes a clear war crime and a blatant violation of international agreements." The ministry also called on the international community, the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross to denounce the act, which it said "is evidence of moral bankruptcy."
“Not content with occupying it and turning it into a barracks, the occupying forces today set the hospital completely on fire, depriving the population of southern Lebanon of access to medical care,” the ministry said, adding that it had renovated and equipped the facility after the last war.
The attack comes as Lebanon’s health sector has already been heavily affected by Israeli operations since the start of the war. The government hospital in Mais al-Jabal was already put out of service by Israeli strikes in early October 2024. In March 2025, Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine visited the site to launch a damage assessment ahead of reconstruction. According to the Health Ministry, the facility was also directly hit in November 2023, in a strike that injured a staff member and damaged the emergency department.
Additional reporting by our correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah.
