Lebanese emergency workers say they are under ‘specific attack’ by Israelis – but won’t be intimidated to leave
Multiple ambulances destroyed, stations hit, Civil Defence crews killed… emergency workers in Lebanon say they’re suffering a sustained attack on them by Israeli forces.
“We are definitely coming under specific attack,” Sayyed Abdullah, head of Civil Defence in the south, told a group of mainly foreign media.
“We have had 40 ambulances which have been completely destroyed,” he said, adding: “On top of that 24 rescuing stations have been hit – just in this area.
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“They were all targeted directly and I’m just speaking about our organisation.”
A number of his colleagues, young and old, echoed that belief.
One Civil Defence worker who’s been part of the emergency crew for 20 years told us how earlier in the day, a team of his colleagues had raced to a bomb site to help the injured.
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Beirut rescue workers feel ‘targeted’ by strikes
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“The first team went to rescue them and they were hit. Another team went to rescue them, they were also hit,” he said.
“At the end the Red Cross went to rescue them and they too were attacked.”
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His 20-year-old young co-worker Yasser told us he would not be intimidated into leaving: “We will not leave. If we leave, who will look after the people?”
Several Civil Defence crews have been killed – seven in one hit in Beirut. Their colleagues and friends need no more convincing their lives are at risk.
One Civil Defence worker said two separate emergency crews and the Red Cross were hit trying to help at one bomb site
The airstrikes and casualties are on a daily basis in this area of southern Lebanon.
The thud of bombs landing are a regular frightening noise here now. But with doctors and nurses too feeling they are being targeted, it seems it’s becoming more and more risky to be an emergency worker in Lebanon.
20-year-old Yasser said he would not be intimidated into leaving
“There are international laws protecting doctors all over the world,” Dr Hussam Telleih, one young doctor told us, adding: “But not in Lebanon.
“There are no Hezbollah weapons in this hospital. You can see for yourself. You’ve been all over the hospital. We completely deny this.”
“They are trying to do here what they did in Gaza. They said the same about al Shifa hospital in Gaza, calling it a Hamas control centre. We feel we are next.”
As we are at the latest bomb site where the Civil Defence teams are working, an alarm goes up and we’re told to evacuate.
The crews are nervous. There’s a group of them in one place to talk to the assembled media and they’re worried that this number of vehicles all together might draw the attention of the ‘eyes in the skies’ – the Israeli drones which also constantly circle above.
We reached out to the Israeli Defence Forces media office for comment on these accusations, but we received no reply.
When we move to another site in Tyre city, a young man is hobbling on a crutch near another crushed building.
He tells us about what appears to be a miraculous escape from death. An airstrike has caused two buildings to collapse, killing a family of five. Three women, including a teenager, a grandfather and a two-year-old baby have died.
The young man was in the neighbouring house but tells us he was trapped for several hours before rescue workers pulled him out of the rubble barely conscious.
“It’s lies,” he says, referring to the Israeli claim that every house hit contains Hezbollah weapons, a fighter or commander. “This is all lies. We are civilians and my uncle was killed and he wasn’t doing anything.”
We see, far off in the distance, dozens of volleys of rockets being fired off one after another.
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We’ve stopped to try to find a mechanic who can help repair our vehicle’s punctured tyre, and a small group has gathered to watch the rockets shooting off. There are appreciative noises and a frisson of excitement among the group as the blasts arc across the skyline.
But the far more constant thunderous drum is the crashing thud and boom of Israeli missiles landing.
And that doesn’t seem likely to ease any time soon.
A Sky News documentary, Netanyahu, will air today 4 October at 9pm
Alex Crawford reports from Tyre in southern Lebanon with camera Jake Britton, specialist producer Chris Cunningham and Lebanon producers Jihad Jneid and Sami Zein.
World
Arrest warrants issued for Israeli PM Netanyahu and former defence secretary Gallant and senior Hamas commander over alleged war crimes
Arrest warrants have been issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence secretary Yoav Gallant and a senior Hamas commander by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The warrants against the senior Israeli figures are for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza that Israel launched following the 7 October attacks by Hamas.
The prime minister’s office said the warrants against him and Gallant were “anti-semitic” and said Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions”.
Another warrant was issued for the arrest of Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al Masri for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Al Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, was the mastermind behind the 7 October attacks. It is unclear if he is still alive, following an airstrike that Israel claimed killed him earlier this year.
Neither Israel nor the US are members of the ICC. Israel has rejected the court’s jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes in Gaza.
US President Joe Biden described the warrants against Israeli leaders as “outrageous”, adding “whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas”.
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were a “mark of shame” for the ICC.
The court originally said it was seeking arrest warrants for the three men in May for the alleged crimes and today announced that it had rejected challenges by Israel and issued warrants of arrest.
The new UK Labour government said in the summer it would not oppose the ICC’s right to issue the warrants.
Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN general assembly. Pic: Reuters
Warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant
In its update, the ICC said it found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility” for alleged crimes.
These, the court said, include “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.
Netanyahu previously spoke of his “disgust” at the suggestion the ICC would seek an arrest warrant for him.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the ICC’s decision sent a “terrible message”.
“The court has minimised how Hamas fights – deliberately from within civilian infrastructure and cruelly using Palestinian civilians as human shields, tragically leading to many casualties,” the board said.
“Democratic governments, and people around the world, should consider how they would have responded to an October 7th perpetrated against their country, involving mass murder, rape, and hostage-taking.
“We should all be focused on defeating the Hamas terrorists, liberating the hostages, ensuring that civilians in Gaza receive all necessary aid and working towards a sustainable peace for Israelis and Palestinians to prevent these horrible conflicts in the future.
“The decision of the ICC is counter-productive in all these respects.”
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A video released by Hamas in 2005 shows a man identified as Mohammed Deif. Pic: AP
Warrant for Hamas leader
The ICC also said it has issued an arrest warrant for Hamas leader Al Masri, saying it has “reasonable grounds to believe” that he is responsible for crimes against humanity including murder, extermination, torture, rape, as well as war crimes including taking hostages.
Discussing the 7 October attacks, the court said: “In light of the coordinated killings of members of civilians at several separate locations, the Chamber also found that the conduct took place as part of a mass killing of members of the civilian population, and it therefore concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the crime against humanity of extermination was committed.”
In its statement, the ICC said the prosecution was not in a position to determine whether Al Masri is dead or alive, so was issuing the arrest warrant.
The court previously said it was seeking an arrest warrant for Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas who was subsequently killed in July.
The home secretary has refused to say if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he landed on British soil after an international arrest warrant was issued for him.
On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence secretary Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza.
But Yvette Cooper said the ICC, which the UK is a member of, is independent and while the government respects that, it “wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment” on the processes involved.
She told Sky News: “We’ve always respected the importance of international law, but in the majority of the cases that they pursue, they don’t become part of the British legal process.
“What I can say is that obviously, the UK government’s position remains that we believe the focus should be on getting a ceasefire in Gaza.”
However, Emily Thornberry, Labour chair of the foreign affairs committee in parliament, told Sky News: “If Netanyahu comes to Britain, our obligation under the Rome Convention would be to arrest him under the warrant from the ICC.
“Not really a question of should, we are required to because we are members of the ICC.”
The government said after winning July’s election it would not oppose the ICC’s right to issue the warrants.
An ICC arrest warrant was also issued for Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al Masri, the mastermind behind the 7 October attacks in Israel, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel claims Al Masri was killed earlier this year but the ICC said that has not been confirmed, so it was issuing the arrest warrant.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant (right) have arrest warrants against them. File pic: Reuters
Netanyahu’s office said the warrants against him and Gallant were “anti-semitic” and said Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions”.
Neither Israel nor the US are members of the ICC. Israel has rejected the court’s jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes in Gaza.
US President Joe Biden described the warrants against Israeli leaders as “outrageous”, adding: “Whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas.”
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were a “mark of shame” for the ICC.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the ICC’s decision sent a “terrible message”.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he would invite Netanyahu to visit Hungary and he would guarantee the arrest warrant would “not be observed”.
However, both France and Italy signalled they would arrest Netanyahu if he came to their countries.
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Why have arrest warrants been issued?
The ICC originally said it was seeking arrest warrants for the three men in May for the alleged crimes and on Thursday announced that it had rejected challenges by Israel and issued warrants of arrest.
In its update, the ICC said it found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility” for alleged crimes.
These, the court said, include “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.
It is the first time a sitting leader of a major Western ally has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice.
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