Rescuers have come under attack in and around the city of Nabatieh as the IDF moves deeper into the country, Ali Rida Sbeity reports

The Israeli military is targeting rescue workers in and around the city of Nabatieh as it expands its offensive into southern Lebanon, RT correspondent Ali Rida Sbeity reported from the ground on Monday.

The reporter traveled through the city, accompanying first responders as they searched for survivors amid the rubble left behind by Israeli strikes. Rescue teams "have been targeted a few times in the area," resulting in a number of fatalities, according to Sbeity.

Moreover, Al-Najda Al-Shaabiya Hospital - one of the few medical facilities still operating in the area - came under Israeli attack over the weekend, the RT journalist reported, while noting that the situation in Nabatieh is escalating by the hour.

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On Sunday, West Jerusalem announced that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had captured Beaufort Castle, also known as Qalaat al-Chakif, which is situated at a key vantage point in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military had previously used the medieval Crusader fortress as a base before withdrawing from the country in 2000.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he has ordered the IDF to "deepen and expand our hold in places" that were supposedly under the control of Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

The development coincided with an intensification in Israeli aerial bombardment of southern Lebanon in recent days.

Israel's ongoing offensive in the neighboring country is a spillover from the broader Middle East conflict triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

While Tehran and Washington reached a fragile ceasefire in mid-April, the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have never ceased.

On Monday, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that the Islamic Republic was halting "negotiations and exchange of messages" with the US until Israel stops its military operations in Lebanon and in Gaza.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, more than 3,200 people have been killed and nearly 10,000 injured since early March.

Last month, the Lebanese Health Ministry accused the IDF of deliberately targeting medics during airstrikes on the country, with the UN previously estimating that at least 103 Lebanese medical workers have been killed and 230 injured during the current conflict.

(RT.com)