In brief
The ongoing assault between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is increasingly compromising healthcare infrastructure, with hospitals struggling under repeated strikes and resource shortages.
As conflicts rage on near Lebanon's border, the toll on medical facilities is becoming dire. After Israeli forces declared an offensive against Hezbollah positions, hospitals have been severely affected. Many healthcare providers, including St. Therese Hospital on Beirut's outskirts, face damage or closure due to the escalating situation. With health operations increasingly hindered, the United Nations warns that the targeting of critical services is expanding. "We only had 20 minutes," recalls Elie Hachem, director of the now partially closed St. Therese Hospital, struck dangerously close by an airstrike. The decision to temporarily halt operations came after extensive infrastructure damage, with ceilings collapsing and parts of the hospital flooding. “The staff are traumatized,” Hachem explains, as his facility, vital to the community, struggles to cope. The World Health Organization reports at least nine other Lebanese hospitals encountering similar fates. Amid the chaos, healthcare providers remain determined to serve despite geopolitical tensions threatening their existence.
