Lebanese Health Ministry: Southern Beirut Hospitals to Evacuate Patients After Israeli Strikes

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that hospitals in southern Beirut will evacuate their patients following heavy Israeli airstrikes. It called on hospitals in other regions to stop accepting non-urgent cases until the end of next week, according to AFP.

In a statement, the ministry urged hospitals in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and unaffected areas to cease accepting non-emergency cases to make room for patients being transferred from southern Beirut hospitals, which are being evacuated due to the Israeli strikes. The ministry has not yet released a casualty count from the overnight airstrikes.

The Israeli army stated it had launched precision strikes late Friday and into Saturday, targeting what it claimed were Hezbollah weapons depots hidden beneath residential buildings in southern Beirut. Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari warned that the explosions caused by the stored missiles could cause damage to buildings or even lead to their collapse.