Lebanese Health Minister: Egypt is first country offered aid to Lebanon

CAIRO – 21 September 2024: The Lebanese Minister of Health expressed gratitude for Egypt's ongoing support for Lebanon, emphasizing that his Egyptian counterpart, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, was the first to reach out with offers of assistance, including medicines and supplies, during the recent crisis in the southern suburb.

Firas Al-Abyad made these remarks at a press conference in Beirut on Saturday, noting that the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with friendly countries to organize further aid for Lebanon.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that the Israeli raids on the southern suburb have resulted in 31 fatalities, including three children, and left 68 others injured. Israel shelled a residential building in Dahieh, south of Beirut.

The Israeli aggression also resulted in the killing of Ibrahim Akil (also known as Hajj Abdul Qader) is identified as Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General for Operations and a member of the Jihadi Council. Also, Commander of Radwan Force’s Central Training Unit Ahmad Mahmoud Wehbi (Haj Abu Hussein Samir) was also killed in the attack.

On September 17, 2024, the Lebanese health ministry reported at least nine fatalities, including a young girl, and 2,800 injuries following an Israeli operation triggering the detonation of hundreds of pagers across Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon. On the following, day, Israel detonated hundreds of walkie-talkie devices among the Lebanese civilians. The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced the martyrdom of 14 people and the injury of more than 450 others in the second wave of wireless attacks.

In a speech given by Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday, he said: “a difficult reckoning awaits the Israeli enemy,” without establishing a timeline for the group's retaliation against these attacks.

Additional reporting by Amr Mohamed Kandil