The IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced that over the past week, Givati Brigade soldiers identified Hezbollah terrorist activity from within the government hospital in Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon.
In the past few days, several Hezbollah terrorists were identified conducting surveillance from a hospital window and firing towards IDF soldiers in the area. Following the immediate identification of the threat, the soldiers eliminated the terrorists. Additionally, in order to remove the immediate threat, approximately 20 terrorists were precisely eliminated within the hospital compound.
The soldiers operating in the hospital compound located a cache of weapons inside the facility.
The Hezbollah terrorist organization systematically and repeatedly used the hospital compound and its immediate surroundings for military purposes, constituting a serious violation of international law.
Among the uses identified within the hospital compound:
* The transfer of weapons through the hospital compound
* The storage of weapons within the hospital compound
* The use of hospital facilities as observation posts, concealment positions, and shelter for operatives
Hezbollah systematically exploits medical facilities and ambulances for military purposes, thereby violating international law and endangering the civilian population.
The IDF operates in accordance with international law, and clarified prior to the operation to the relevant Lebanese authorities that all military activity within hospitals in Lebanon must cease, and disseminated these warnings through various channels. Despite this, Hezbollah continued to use the hospital for military activity.
The IDF views with severity the cynical use by the Hezbollah terrorist organization of civilian infrastructure, including medical institutions, for military purposes, placing patients, medical staff, and civilians at risk, in violation of international law.