WHO confirms 18 attacks on healthcare sites in Iran

March 11 (Reuters) – The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that it has verified 18 attacks on healthcare centers in Iran since the start of the U.S. and Israel war on Iran on February 28, which has resulted in 8 deaths among health workers.

“These attacks not only cost lives but deprive communities of care when they need it most. Health workers, patients and health facilities must always be protected under international humanitarian law,” the WHO said in a statement.

During the same period, 25 attacks on healthcare centers in Lebanon have resulted in 16 deaths and 29 injuries, the agency said.

The conflict has triggered a large-scale population movement, the WHO added.

It estimates more than 100,000 people in Iran have relocated, and up to 700,000 people in Lebanon have been internally displaced, many sheltering in crowded buildings with scarce access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

Such conditions risk outbreaks of respiratory and diarrheal diseases, the WHO warned, particularly among women and children.

On Tuesday, ‌the agency said that the “black rain” and toxic compounds in the air in Iran after strikes on its oil facilities could cause respiratory problems, and backed Iran’s advisory urging people to remain indoors.

In Lebanon, 49 primary healthcare centers and five hospitals have shut following evacuation orders issued by Israel’s military, reducing the availability of essential services while medical needs rise, the WHO said on Wednesday.

Across the eastern Mediterranean region, 115 million people require humanitarian assistance, while 70% of the humanitarian health appeals remain underfunded, the health organization said.

(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)