Doctors Without Borders: Nabatieh Region in Lebanon Becomes 'Death Trap'
Al Jazeera Staff
MSF warns conditions in Nabatieh, south Lebanon, have become a death trap as Israeli airstrikes kill at least 50. Rescue teams cannot reach many trapped under heavy fire.
The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that conditions in the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon, under sustained Israeli attacks, are reminiscent of a 'death trap'.
Israel escalated its assaults on Nabatieh and other areas of southern Lebanon from midnight Friday, ahead of planned talks in Switzerland between the United States and Iran aimed at reaching an interim peace agreement.
At least 50 people have been killed in the latest attacks, including one soldier, according to Lebanese health officials. MSF said it is responding to an influx of wounded in Nabatieh, including medical personnel injured during rescue missions.
The organization also warned that rescue teams cannot evacuate many others trapped under heavy shellfire in the area due to the risk of being hit.
'People are arriving with severe head wounds, heavy bleeding, shrapnel injuries and requiring amputations,' said Pierre Boulet-Desbareau, MSF's emergency coordinator in Lebanon, in a statement. 'The current situation in Nabatieh is truly devastating. What our teams describe is like a death trap. People are trapped under heavy shellfire, while rescue teams cannot safely reach them. Civilians and first responders must be protected, and unhindered access for rescue teams is urgently needed.'
The Israeli military said it began striking multiple targets in southern Lebanon after a Hezbollah attack killed four soldiers. Despite US President Donald Trump stating late Friday that Israel had agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israel continued its strikes on southern Lebanon into Saturday.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes and drones carried out a series of strikes across Nabatieh overnight and into Saturday morning, destroying residential buildings and homes.
Tehran insists that any final peace agreement requires Israel and the US to end the conflict on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Iran was reportedly delaying the dispatch of its envoy to Switzerland ahead of delayed direct talks due to Israel's escalating attacks.
