Beirut, May 16 (IANS): Three paramedics were killed and another seriously wounded in an airstrike that completely destroyed a civil defence centre operated by the Islamic Health Authority in the town of Harouf in southern Lebanon, with Lebanon’s Health Ministry accusing Israel of violating international humanitarian law through attacks targeting medical and rescue personnel. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged stronger Arab and international backing for Lebanon’s diplomatic efforts, warning that the country faces its gravest crisis since its founding, and stating that the latest war “was imposed on Lebanon,” resulting in Israel occupying 68 towns, villages, and positions. Salam further cautioned that Lebanon could not recover while young people continued emigrating, the middle class eroded, and key sectors such as education and healthcare struggled to survive. The current round of fighting began on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel amid tensions triggered by the US-Israeli war against Iran, prompting Israel to respond with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion of Lebanon.
In a significant diplomatic development, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of their ceasefire that took effect on April 16, with US State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott announcing on Friday that “the April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress.” The two countries are set to resume political negotiations at the US State Department on June 2-3, while their military delegates are scheduled to launch parallel security talks at the Pentagon on May 29, following what Piggott described as “highly productive” direct talks held on Thursday and Friday. Despite the ceasefire extension, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon have continued, with Hezbollah claiming it targeted Israeli drones, troops, military bulldozers, and a Merkava tank in several areas of southern Lebanon.