Beirut, 14 March 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Lebanon's Health Ministry said on Saturday that several healthcare workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit a primary healthcare centre in a southern town near the Israeli border.

In a statement, the ministry said 12 medical staff, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, were killed in the strike, while another healthcare worker was injured.

It said the toll remains preliminary as rescue operations continue and teams search for people believed to be missing under the rubble.

The ministry condemned the attack, denouncing what it described as continued violence against healthcare workers.

The centre belongs to Islamic Health Society, which is affiliated with the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.

"Such attacks contradict international humanitarian laws protecting medical personnel," the ministry in Beirut said.

It added that the strike was the second attack on the health sector within a few hours, following an earlier incident that targeted paramedics in the town of al-Sawwaneh.

The Israeli army said they were looking into the incident.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Israeli strikes hit an appartment building in central Beirut and a building on the outskirts of Sidon, a southern port city.

More than 100 minors have been killed in Lebanon since the latest escalation between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah on March, according to authorities.

The Health Ministry said that a total of 773 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon so far, including 100 children and minors. Nearly 2,000 people have been registered as injured.

The latest escalation in hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel - effectively ending a fragile truce - unfolded amid the broader conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.

Iran-backed Hezbollah renewed attacks on Israeli positions, voicing support for Tehran and saying it is defending Lebanon against "Israeli aggression."

Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon, including in Beirut and southern border regions, have triggered widespread  displacement of civilians fleeing the fighting.

Photo: dpa