Algeria condemned continued incursions by Israeli occupation forces into Lebanese territories and the targeting of civilians and infrastructure, according to a statement from the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This condemnation followed overnight Israeli strikes on Lebanon’s Bekaa valley and the southern province of Tyre. Reports indicated an ambulance was bombed in Deir Qanoun en-Nahr, killing two paramedics and a child. A second Israeli airstrike on Hannaouiyah killed four paramedics from the Islamic Health Association, including photojournalist Ahmed Hariri. Israel had issued evacuation warnings for two areas in Tyre and the village of Burj Rahal before Friday's attacks on Tyre.
Algeria's Strong Rebuke
Algeria called on the international community to "shoulder its responsibilities in the face of this aggression against a sovereign state, a member of the United Nations," according to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry further urged the international community to deter the actions of the Israeli occupier, which threaten regional security and stability, and to hold it accountable for respecting the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions to end the war on Lebanon. The Lebanese government has sought a complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from its territory. Conversely, the Israeli government has called for the complete disarmament of Hezbollah. Hezbollah has stated its opposition to direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. Separately, Israel conducted a strike on the mountainous area on the outskirts of Brital in the Bekaa valley.
Israeli Strikes and Civilian Impact
Buildings were reduced to craters by the strikes, while operations in southern Lebanon continued on Saturday morning, hitting close to Lebanese army barracks. In the town of Nabatieh, a man on a motorcycle was killed. The town of Chehabiyeh also experienced casualties, with people killed and wounded, though a specific death toll was not immediately known. One of the paramedics killed on Friday, Ahmed Hariri, also worked as a photojournalist. Tebnine public hospital sustained heavy damage from an airstrike on Thursday. The Israeli military stated that "several uninvolved individuals in the area, who were not the targets of the strikes, were harmed." At least 46 villages in areas under Israeli control have been demolished or damaged. Reports indicate 123 medics have been killed by Israel.
Accountability and Regional Stability
The Israeli military stated it was examining claims that "several uninvolved individuals in the area, who were not the targets of the strikes, were harmed" in Hannaouiyah and Deir Qanoun en-Nahr. The military further claimed it was targeting Hezbollah fighters it had identified in the area. Reports indicated that in 88% of cases where the Israeli military said it would investigate allegations of war crimes, those investigations have been closed or remain unresolved.
Since the latest round of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel began on March 2, more than 3,111 people have been killed. Even after the ceasefire was established, 817 people have either died or their bodies have been recovered. Hezbollah has continued attacking Israeli forces in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire. On Friday night, Hezbollah said it targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers with artillery shells outside the south Lebanese village of Deir Siryan and attacked an Israeli drone with a surface-to-air missile.
