By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon’s Health Ministry condemned the burning of Mays al-Jabal Governmental Hospital by “Israeli” forces, describing the destruction as part of a systematic assault on healthcare in southern Lebanon and calling for international accountability.

In a statement, the ministry described the burning as a “blatant barbaric crime” and said “Israeli” forces had previously occupied the hospital and turned it into a military barracks before setting it completely ablaze.

The ministry said the destruction was intended to deprive southern communities of basic access to hospital treatment and healthcare, calling it evidence of what it described as “moral bankruptcy and deeply rooted criminality.”

Meanwhile, the ministry recalled that it had repaired and rehabilitated the hospital following the previous war, equipping it with modern medical equipment so it could serve displaced families and residents remaining in border communities.

The facility, intended as a lifeline and safe haven for the area’s population, was now being subjected to systematic destruction, it said.

Despite the attack, the ministry pledged to continue supporting southern Lebanon’s residents with all available resources and fulfilling its national and humanitarian responsibilities, stressing that such actions “will not break the will to remain steadfast.”

Furthermore, the ministry said targeting medical institutions and healthcare workers constitutes a war crime and a violation of international conventions. It urged the international community, the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross to end what it called their “suspicious silence” and hold the occupation accountable for repeated attacks on Lebanon’s healthcare sector.

The condemnation comes as the human toll of the “Israeli” aggression against Lebanon continues to mount. On Thursday, the ministry reported 4,386 people martyred and 12,407 wounded between March 2 and September 17. Since October 8, 2023, the cumulative toll had reached 8,953 martyrs and 30,643 wounded, according to the ministry’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center.