Three consecutive Israeli airstrikes killed at least three paramedics in the southern Lebanese town of Mayfadoun on Wednesday. The attacks followed a brutal logic: the first strike created the casualties, and the subsequent strikes targeted the rescuers who rushed to save them.
Fadel Serhan, 43, was among the dead. He’d spent the early weeks of the war operating out of a makeshift tent outside Nabatieh’s Nabih Berri Hospital after his own station in Mayfadoun was destroyed during the conflict’s opening days. His death marks a recurring pattern in a campaign that’s increasingly focused on the infrastructure of survival.
Israel targeted rescue teams in successive waves
The Lebanese health ministry reported that three separate paramedic teams were hit one after another. This “double-tap” or “triple-tap” tactic ensures that the second and third waves of responders are caught in the same blast radius as the initial victims.
It’s a strategy of attrition. Israeli army chief of staff Eyal Zamir codified this approach Wednesday during a visit to frontline troops, ordering that all of south Lebanon up to the Litani River line be turned into a “Hezbollah terrorist kill zone.”
The results are stark. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported separate strikes on Wednesday targeting vehicles on the coastal highway, roughly 20 kilometers south of Beirut, extending the violence beyond Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds.
Why the military justifies these strikes
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim that Hezbollah uses ambulances and medical facilities for military operations. They’ve pointed to instances like a hospital compound in Bint Jbeil, where they say troops killed more than 20 Hezbollah fighters on Sunday.
Lebanese officials haven’t seen the evidence. The health ministry denies these claims, arguing that the targeting of medics is a flagrant crime and a violation of international humanitarian law.
Some first responders strive to mitigate the risk by sending their coordinates to UN peacekeepers, who then notify Israel. It doesn’t always work. Youssef Assaf, a Red Cross volunteer, was killed on March 9 despite following this protocol.
Across southern Lebanon, the medical toll is climbing
The numbers suggest a systemic collapse. The health ministry says 91 health professionals have been killed and 208 wounded since the war began on March 2.
They’ve recorded more than 120 Israeli attacks on ambulances and medical facilities. The violence has claimed more than 2,100 lives in Lebanon.
Human rights groups suggest these actions may constitute war crimes. If the “kill zone” designation persists, the ability to provide basic emergency care in the south could vanish entirely.
How many healthcare workers have been killed?
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, 91 health professionals have been killed since the start of the war on March 2.
What is Israel’s reason for attacking medical facilities?
Israel claims that some ambulances and health facilities in Lebanon are being used by Hezbollah for military purposes.
