Another deadly day on the front of the war in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon. Israeli strikes targeting On Friday, November 22, Hezbollah killed the director of Dar al-Amal hospital, near Baalbeck, in the east, along with six members of the nursing staff. In the south, violent strikes again targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, after Israeli calls to evacuate several neighborhoods. On the diplomatic field,US President Joe Biden spoke with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron about efforts towards a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the White House announced. Here's what to remember from the day.
Hospital director and six colleagues killed in eastern Lebanon strike
The director of Dar al-Amal hospital near Baalbeck in eastern Lebanon was killed along with six healthcare workers in an Israeli strike that targeted his residence, located near the health facility , announced the Ministry of Health. In a press release, the ministry announced the “loss of Dr. Ali Rakan Allam, director of Dar al-Amal University Hospital, who was martyred along with six of his colleagues in a cowardly Israeli attack that targeted Dr. Allam's residence, located next to the hospital “, denouncing “continued attacks by the Israeli army against health personnel and facilities”.
These strikes come as the WHO said on Friday that nearly 230 health workers had been killed in Lebanon since October 7, 2023, deploring “an extremely worrying figure”.
Southern suburb of Berouth shelled after calls to evacuate
Violent strikes once again targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Lebanese Hezbollah against which Israel is at open war, after Israeli calls to evacuate several neighborhoods. At least three new strikes targeted this area during the night from Friday to Saturday, according to AFP and the Lebanese national information agency (ANI). This is the fourth raid in 24 hours in a series of Israeli attacks against this Hezbollah stronghold, after a call to evacuate launched by Israel.
By the end of the afternoon, the AANI had reported at least five new strikes, including two “violent” on two neighborhoods in the southern suburbs mentioned in the Israeli call to evacuate. According to the same source, large fires broke out after the strikes and buildings collapsed. The Agency had already reported in the morning and early afternoon strikes targeting five buildings, including two located on the outskirts of the southern suburbs of Beirut, in the still densely populated Chiyah sector in Ghobeiry, which is home to several shopping centers, again after calls to evacuate. These calls were motivated by the presence in the vicinity of“facilities and interests linked to Hezbollah”according to an Israeli army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee.
A photo taken by AFP shows a missile having largely destroyed an 11-story building in Chiyah. Many people fled to the predominantly Christian neighborhood of Aïn el-Remmaneh, neighboring Chiyah, according to Ani.
Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron discuss a ceasefire in Lebanon
US President Joe Biden spoke with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday about efforts towards a ceasefire in Lebanon, the White House announced. “They took stock of developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, including efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, which will allow residents on both sides of the Line blue to return home safely”according to a press release.
As the mandate of the American democratic head of state draws to a close, the two leaders “committed to remaining in close consultation, directly and through their national security teams”adds the text. The United States and France had already initiated a ceasefire proposal in Lebanon at the end of September, which was not followed through on.
Hospitals in Gaza in danger due to lack of fuel
The Hamas Health Ministry for Gaza warned on Friday that all hospitals in the Palestinian territory should cease or reduce their activities “within 48 hours” lack of fuel, the entry of which is blocked, according to him, by the Israeli authorities. “We are issuing an urgent warning that all hospitals in the Gaza Strip will stop functioning or reduce their services within 48 hours due to the obstruction of the entry of fuel”by Israel, said the director of field hospitals for the ministry, Marwan al-Hams, during a press conference.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said “deeply concerned” by the situation of 80 patients, including 8 in intensive care, and staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of only two partially functioning hospitals in northern Gaza. An attack targeted the establishment on Thursday, damaging the generator and the water tank.
The arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Benjamin Netanyahu continues to provoke reactions
International reactions continue to multiply after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the conflict triggered in Gaza by the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on October 7, 2023 on Israeli soil.
Joe Biden judged “scandalous” ces ICC arrest warrants. China, for its part, called on the International Criminal Court to have a “objective and fair position”. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, for his part, invited his Israeli counterpart to his country to protest against the ICC decision. Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.
For its part, France “take note” of this decision, but without explaining whether it would arrest the people targeted by these warrants if they were to travel to French territory, which is one of the 124 signatories to the Rome Statute. The United Kingdom, for its part, assures that it “will respect its legal obligations”. “There is a clear legal procedure that should be followed,” said a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
