Fadel Sarhan’s blood-stained jacket was carried through the streets of Nabatieh on Thursday, a grim symbol of how rescuers in southern Lebanon have become targets in Israel’s widening campaign against Hezbollah.
The 43-year-old paramedic with the Islamic Health Association was among four medics killed and six wounded in a series of Israeli strikes on Wednesday afternoon in the village of Mayfadoun. What began as a response to an earlier airstrike turned into a sustained assault on emergency workers, with ambulances hit in three separate waves after the initial impact. Medical sources said the attack killed three Hezbollah-affiliated rescuers and one from the Nabatieh emergency services, underscoring how the violence is eroding long-standing protections for medical personnel under international law.
Rescuers in Lebanon have grown accustomed to the threat of double-tap strikes — where Israel hits a site, waits for responders to arrive, then strikes again. But Wednesday’s sequence marked an evolution: after the initial strike on Mayfadoun, Israeli forces launched three consecutive attacks on medics and their vehicles, a pattern witnesses and officials have begun calling a “quadruple tap.” Video footage from the scene shows paramedics scrambling to load wounded civilians into an ambulance when a bomb lands nearby; seconds later, they are seen dragging blood-covered colleagues from the wreckage as one cries out, “Oh God, oh God.”
The BBC reported that a second team from the Islamic Health Association arrived after the first wave and was also hit, wounding three paramedics. Subsequently, ambulances from the Risala Scout Association and the Nabatieh Ambulance Service were struck, resulting in two more deaths and three additional injuries. While the exact sequencing varies slightly between accounts, all sources agree that multiple waves of strikes hit rescue teams operating in the same area over a short span of time, overwhelming local emergency capacity.
Israel framed the broader operation differently. According to Fox News, the same day saw a 60-second strike involving roughly 50 Israeli aircraft hitting more than 100 Hezbollah targets across Beirut, the Beqaa Valley, and southern Lebanon. The IDF said the assault eliminated approximately 250 Hezbollah operatives in what it described as a blow to the group’s command structure — targeting intelligence offices, command rooms, and planning cells rather than weapons depots. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told the outlet the operation was the result of weeks of intelligence tracking Hezbollah fighters as they moved between apartments and safe houses.
For more on this story, see Israeli Strike Kills Lebanese Forces Official in Ain Saadeh.
The contrast between Israel’s portrayal of a precision blow to Hezbollah’s leadership and the on-the-ground reality of medics killed while trying to save civilians highlights a growing tension in the conflict. International law clearly designates medical personnel as non-combatants, yet rescuers in Lebanon report being attacked with increasing frequency. The United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned the scale of destruction, calling it “nothing short of horrific” and noting it occurred shortly after a U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement.
This is not the first time medical workers have been caught in the crossfire. During Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah, ambulances and clinics were repeatedly struck, prompting similar accusations of targeting rescuers. What has changed is the frequency and apparent coordination of multi-wave attacks, which local responders say now leave them hesitating before responding to strikes — precisely when help is needed most.
Fadel Sarhan’s funeral in Nabatieh brought together colleagues who remembered him as a man who fed stray animals with pet food he brought from Beirut and who balanced a bold personality with deep empathy. His eight-year-old daughter now grows up without a father whose last act was rushing toward danger to help others.
This follows our earlier report, Canada Condemns Israel’s ‘Illegal Invasion’ of Lebanon as Fears of Annexation Grow.
Why are medics being targeted in Lebanon?
Sources do not provide direct evidence that Israel intentionally targets medical personnel. Yet, the repeated pattern of strikes hitting ambulances and rescue teams after initial attacks suggests either a failure to distinguish combatants from non-combatants in fast-moving operations or a tactical choice to exploit the predictable gathering of responders. Medical sources insist all medics are protected under international law regardless of affiliation.
What is a quadruple tap and how does it differ from a double-tap?
A double-tap refers to an initial strike followed by a second hit on rescuers who arrive to help. The term quadruple tap emerged after Wednesday’s attack in Mayfadoun, where medics were hit by three consecutive strikes following the initial airstrike — one strike on the first responder team, two more on ambulances attempting evacuation. Rescuers say the tactic leaves them with little time to react between waves.
How does Israel justify the broader strikes in Lebanon?
Israel says the April 8 operation devastated Hezbollah’s command structure, eliminating approximately 250 operatives in a 60-second strike across multiple locations. Officials describe it as a precision blow to intelligence and planning cells, not weapons sites, and say it was based on weeks of tracking Hezbollah fighters moving between safe houses. Lebanese officials and the UN have condemned the scale of destruction as disproportionate.
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