At least 12 medical personnel were killed in an Israeli strike on a healthcare centre in Borj Qalaouiya, southern Lebanon, health authorities said, bringing the total number of paramedics killed since the latest conflict erupted to 26. Earlier Saturday, a separate Israeli attack on the Lebanese city of Sidon claimed four lives, according to the country’s state news agency NNA.
Mehieddine al-Teryaki, surveying the destruction in Sidon, said his uncle and three family members were among the dead. “What they did is a massacre,” he told reporters.
The Lebanese health ministry reported that Israeli attacks have killed at least 773 people in the country since 2 March, including 98 children, according to the World Health Organization.
Amid the violence, French President Emmanuel Macron said the Lebanese government is ready for direct talks with Israel and offered to host negotiations in Paris, stressing that all measures must be taken to prevent Lebanon from descending into chaos.
Tensions are also escalating in the Gulf as US President Donald Trump threatened to target Iran’s Kharg Island oil facilities if Tehran continues attacks on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global energy supplies. In a social media post, Trump said the US had “totally obliterated” military targets on the island, while stressing that the strikes did not hit oil infrastructure.
Trump added that any interference with free passage through the strait could lead to renewed attacks on Iran’s oil network. US Central Command confirmed that more than 90 Iranian military targets were struck in a precision operation on Kharg Island. The president urged allies to send warships to the Gulf to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains “open and safe.”
Iran has not backed down. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father after his assassination, has stated that the strait should remain closed as a bargaining tool. Iran’s armed forces warned that any attack on the country’s oil and energy facilities would prompt strikes on oil installations linked to the US. Fars news agency reported that explosions were heard across Kharg Island, affecting air defense systems, a naval base, and airport facilities, though oil infrastructure remained intact.
The conflict is affecting global markets. Oil prices have fluctuated sharply amid fears of supply disruption. While Iran continues exporting crude, several Gulf producers have halted shipments citing security concerns.
The broader regional conflict has caused widespread casualties. Reports indicate that at least 2,000 people have died in the past two weeks across Iran, Lebanon, and the Gulf, with millions displaced. The US military has also suffered losses, including six crew members aboard a refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq.
The situation remains volatile, with ongoing Israeli, Iranian, and US military operations, raising fears of further escalation and regional instability.
