Medical personnel and humanitarian organizations say Israeli attacks have increasingly hit hospitals, ambulances and emergency responders during the ongoing campaign against Hezbollah, which Israel accuses of operating from civilian areas.

Hezbollah denies using medical facilities for military purposes.According to Lebanon’s health ministry, at least 54 health professionals have been killed since hostilities escalated on March 2. The ministry also reported 152 attacks on ambulances and emergency teams, as well as the closure of six hospitals and 49 health clinics due to damage or security threats.

In the southern port city of Sidon, hospitals are facing mounting pressure as casualties rise. Doctors say the influx of wounded has strained a system already weakened by years of economic crisis and limited resources. Power outages and shortages of medical supplies have further complicated treatment efforts.

Dr. Mohammed Ziara, a burn surgeon from Gaza now working in Sidon with the UK-based nonprofit Interburns, said the situation resembled what he experienced during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. He said frontline hospitals are overwhelmed and struggling to cope with the volume of injuries.

The Sidon Government Hospital, where a specialized burn unit has been established, is receiving patients from across southern Lebanon, particularly from areas near the evacuation zone. Medical teams say capacity constraints often require discharging patients to accommodate new arrivals.

The World Health Organization said Israeli strikes on March 28 killed multiple paramedics responding to earlier attacks, highlighting the risks faced by emergency responders. The Israeli military has said some targeted individuals were affiliated with Hezbollah, though it has not provided public evidence.

Human rights organizations say such incidents echo earlier patterns observed in Gaza, where the United Nations reported high casualties among health workers and journalists during Israeli operations.

Analysts warn that repeated strikes on medical infrastructure could further degrade Lebanon’s already fragile health system.Civilians and medical staff say evacuation orders and ongoing bombardment have displaced more than one million people, forcing patients and hospitals to relocate under difficult conditions.

Transfers often require coordination among multiple authorities, leading to delays that doctors say can be life-threatening.Lebanese officials and residents have also raised concerns about the unpredictability of strikes.

Some civilians say attacks have hit residential areas without warning, complicating efforts to identify safe zones.Israel maintains that its operations target Hezbollah infrastructure and that the group’s presence in civilian regions complicates military action.

The escalation follows Hezbollah’s entry into the regional conflict alongside Iran, prompting expanded Israeli operations in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency, citing the health ministry, said four people were killed in a strike on the town of Adloun, while two others died in an airstrike on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon that also wounded four people.

Earlier, three people were reported killed and 18 wounded in a separate strike on the town of Habboush.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the reported strikes. However, Israel had earlier warned of imminent attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah that has faced repeated bombardment.

The latest strikes come as Israel intensifies operations against Hezbollah, which began launching rockets on March 2, drawing Lebanon deeper into a broader regional war triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement that forces were targeting Hezbollah’s “military infrastructure” across Beirut’s southern suburbs “with increasing force,” urging civilians to evacuate immediately for their safety.

Lebanese authorities say the Israeli campaign has killed at least 1,072 people and displaced more than one million since the escalation began, underscoring the humanitarian toll of the conflict.Israel has indicated it may seek to establish control over territory up to the Litani River, approximately 30 km from the border, reviving concerns of a prolonged ground presence in southern Lebanon.

Israel previously occupied the region for nearly two decades until 2000.Cross-border impactIn northern Israel, ongoing rocket fire from Lebanon has disrupted civilian life, with air raid sirens sending residents into shelters.

Israeli authorities reported that a woman was killed on Tuesday in one such attack.The exchange of strikes highlights the intensifying cross-border hostilities, with no immediate signs of de-escalation.

The Israeli military said the targeted militant, Hassan Farhat, was behind a rocket attack on the city of Safed last year that killed and wounded several Israeli soldiers. It vowed to act against Hamas fighters “wherever they operate”.

A security source said Farhat was killed along with his son and daughter in the strike in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. Hamas’ armed wing the al-Qassam Brigades said Farhat was assassinated in his apartment in Sidon, and praised his “blessed contributions” to the confrontation with Israel over the years.

Iran-backed Hezbollah condemned the strike in a statement, saying that the “targeting of Sidon is evidence of the enemy’s intention to expand the scope of its aggression and target all of Lebanon”.

Hamas and Hezbollah are allies, and Hezbollah launched a campaign of cross border strikes on Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian group in 2023. Israel responded with a major air and ground campaign in Lebanon last year that killed much of the Hezbollah leadership.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s office said Friday’s Israeli attack was a clear violation of a U.S.-backed ceasefire.

The ceasefire, agreed in November, has appeared increasingly precarious in recent weeks, with Israel striking the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut twice and rockets being fired on two occasions from Lebanon towards Israel.

Hezbollah also accused the ceasefire sponsors, led by the U.S., of overlooking Israeli attacks.

The U.S. backed Israel after the Israeli strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs and said Israel was defending itself, blaming “terrorists” for the resumption of hostilities.

Hezbollah has denied any role in the recent rocket fire.