Israeli ‘double-tap’ strike claims three rescue workers in Lebanon

Beirut: Two successive Israeli air strikes on a building in southern Lebanon have killed five people, including three emergency workers, Leban­ese officials said, in what the country’s PM has described as a “war crime”, BBC reported.   

The Lebanese health ministry said the three members of the Lebanese Civil Defence, a state-run emergency service, had been sent to rescue those wounded in the first strike in Majdal Zoun on Tuesday. They were trapped under rubble caused by the second strike and later confirmed dead.   

It did not identify the two other fatalities. Two Lebanese army soldiers were also wounded in the attack. 

It has previously failed to explain attacks on health professionals while they were on rescue missions. The tactic, known as “double tap”, sees an initial attack followed by a second or more, often hitting civilians and rescuers. It has been used by Israel in Lebanon and Gaza.   

PM Nawaf Salam condemned the “targeting” of rescuers as a “war crime” and a breach of the ongoing ceasefire. Rights groups say deliberate attacks on health workers could constitute a war crime. 

Since March 3, over 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 103 health professionals. The health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians but says the number includes at least 270 women and more than 170 children.  

Two civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks in Israel, while 16 Israeli soldiers and one civilian have been killed in Lebanon, Israeli authorities say.