"Twelve doctors and nurses who were on duty in the clinic were killed, and one employee was injured," the ministry said, adding that rescue operations were underway.
There are no independent sources about the attack, but the Lebanese Ministry of Health says it was the second attack in a couple of hours; it followed an attack on Sawaneh in which two medics with links to the Hezbollah movement were killed, AFP reported at 11pm on Friday evening.
Late in the evening, reports also came from the Lebanese news agency NNA that an Israeli shell had hit the base for UN peacekeeping operations in southern Lebanon. The UN has not confirmed the report.
The UN appeals
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during a visit to the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday, urged the outside world to provide a financial humanitarian aid package to Lebanon and the approximately 800,000 residents who are displaced.
Guterres asked for $325 million – equivalent to just over 3 billion kronor – to support "the people of Lebanon."
The support "will maintain and expand life-saving interventions over the next three months – and include food, clean water, health interventions, education, protection and other critical interventions," Guterres said.
At the same time, he appealed to the warring parties, Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, to enter into a ceasefire.
Nearly 800 dead
Lebanon's Health Ministry announced on Friday that the death toll has risen to 773 people since the attacks began on March 2. Of these, more than 100 are children.
The Israeli military announced on Friday afternoon that it had attacked 200 rocket launchers or associated sites. In addition, raids have been carried out on 35 command centers for Hezbollah's military operations. More than 350 Hezbollah members have been killed in the recent attacks, according to the military.
The Norwegian Refugee Council estimates that Israel's calls for complete and immediate evacuation apply to around 14 percent of Lebanon's land area, according to AFP.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a televised speech that the Shiite militia is ready for a long fight against Israel:
We have prepared for a long confrontation, and God willing, they (the Israelis) will be surprised on the battlefield. This is an existential battle, not a limited or simple battle.
