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Israel bombs Lebanese ambulances, clinics as Hezbollah prepares for ‘massive invasion’ of south

March 16, 2026

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Israeli forces are escalating their attacks on towns in southern Lebanon with air raids and shelling, including on medical clinics and ambulance teams seeking to rescue survivors, Al-Akhbar reported on 14 March.

Israeli forces targeted a medical clinic in Burj Qalawiya belonging to the Islamic Health Authority, resulting in multiple dead and wounded.

Al-Akhbar’s correspondent reported the discovery of the bodies of two paramedics from the Islamic Message Scouts and the Islamic Health Authority, after Israeli forces targeted their ambulance in the town of Al-Sawana.

Earlier in the morning, the Israeli army threatened to target ambulances, claiming that Hezbollah uses them for military operations.

“As part of its terrorist activities, Hezbollah is making extensive military use of ambulances,” Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed on Saturday in an effort to justify the strikes.

“We emphasize that if this approach is not halted, Israel will act in accordance with international law against any military activity carried out by the terrorist Hezbollah using those facilities and ambulances,” Adraee warned.

Last week, Israeli commandos disguised themselves using Lebanese ambulances during a raid on Nabi Chit, an operation that resulted in at least 41 deaths.

“Witnesses told the BBC that the Israeli soldiers had arrived disguised in Lebanese military fatigues and used ambulances with signs of Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Organization,” the British news outlet reported.

The Lebanese army chief later confirmed the witness reports while speaking to local media, the BBC added.

https://twitter.com/AvichayAdraee/status/2032811868746584100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2032811868746584100%7Ctwgr%5Eaa38e23a3b94535b5e7db81c00d314d393dd9d84%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthecradle.co%2Farticles-id%2F36483

On Saturday, an Israeli attack on an apartment in a residential building in Sidon killed four members of the same family.

On Friday evening, warplanes launched airstrikes on the towns of Toul and Jebchit, Burj Qalawiya, Qusaybah, and Adshit al-Qusayr.

In Nabatieh, an attack on a house in the nuns’ quarter resulted in deaths and injuries among a single family. Three people were also killed in an airstrike targeting the city of Bint Jbeil, Al-Akhbar reported.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) condemned attacks on medical personnel in Lebanon, including an attack on an ambulance team near Sur (Tyre) last week that killed Youssef Assaf, a volunteer paramedic.

The statement failed to mention Israel as the perpetrator of Assaf’s killing.

The organization also condemned an attack on an ambulance team in the Nabatieh area two days earlier, in which two paramedics were wounded.

Breaking | Lebanese Red Cross paramedic Youssef Assaf, from the city of Tyre, has succumbed to severe injuries sustained yesterday while carrying out his humanitarian duty after being wounded during Israeli attacks. pic.twitter.com/1SpkQyYDHW

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 10, 2026

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 773 people have been killed by Israeli attacks since the outbreak of the current war, including 100 who are children or teenagers. A further 2,000 have been injured.

Saturday’s attacks come as Israeli and US officials announced they are planning to launch a “massive” ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

The report said the Israeli military hopes to seize the entire area south of the Litani River, destroying all buildings and tunnels used by Hezbollah.

“We are going to do what we did in Gaza,” a senior Israeli official told Axios.

“The goal is to take over territory, push Hezbollah’s forces north and away from the border, and dismantle its military positions and weapons depots in the villages,” the official said.

Israeli military officials said they were pushed to approve the invasion after Hezbollah launched more than 200 rockets at northern Israel on Wednesday in an attack coordinated with Iranian missile strikes.

Israeli military intelligence has confirmed that Hezbollah has successfully redeployed units of its elite Radwan Force south of the Litani River, Haaretz reported Saturday, contradicting Israeli claims after the 2024 Lebanon war that the resistance movement’s elite forces had been neutralized.