Israel's campaign to sever southern Lebanon in a new ‘buffer zone’
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On March 24, Israel announced plans to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River — some 30 km north of the border, nearly one-tenth of Lebanese territory — as a "defensive security zone."
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Across Lebanon, Israeli air strikes have killed more than 1,100 people, according to the #HealthMinistry, and evacuation orders have displaced well over a million.
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The #UnitedNations has said that the destruction of bridges has left tens of thousands of people isolated in southern Lebanon, out of reach for humanitarian convoys seeking to deliver essential aid.
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In the south, four hospitals have sustained partial damage in the war, according to the #WorldHealthOrganization. Two are entirely closed. An Israeli strike on a primary healthcare centre in the southern town of Borj Qalaouiya on March 13 killed 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
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“Frontline responders, health workers, and civilian infrastructure including any healthcare centres are all protected by international humanitarian law,” said Imran Reza, the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon. “We are seeing unacceptable loss.”
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In the current Middle East conflict, “there appears to be an open intent to target vital civilian supply facilities, and thereby severely damage or break national and international economic interests. In turn, this will have a consequential harmful impact on civilians. It is neither a direct, necessary, or proportionate military objective, and therefore illegitimate,” said international criminal prosecutor Nigel Povoas KC.
https://www.reuters.com/graphics/IRAN-CRISIS/LEBANON-ISRAEL-INFRASTRUCTURE/gkvlklaxypb/
