THE Israeli Ministry of Health has said at least 108 people were taken to hospitals across the country over the past 24 hours as the conflict with Iran intensified.
In an update on Sunday, March 15, the ministry said most of the injured suffered minor wounds. Of the 108 casualties, 96 were treated for minor injuries, two were reported to be in moderate condition, while nine others are still undergoing medical assessment.
The ministry added that since the conflict began on February 28, 3,195 people were admitted for treatment, with 81 patients still hospitalised as of 07:00 GMT on Sunday.
It noted that some of the injuries might have occurred as residents rushed to reach shelters during air raid alerts rather than from direct missile or rocket strikes.
The update came as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced it had launched a new wave of “wide scale” airstrikes targeting sites in western Iran.
In a statement posted on social media, the military said it had begun extensive strikes against what it described as infrastructure belonging to the Iranian regime.
“IDF has just begun a wave of extensive strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in western Iran,” the military said.
In Lebanon, the IDF has issued new evacuation orders for those in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
It warned several neighbourhoods in southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut to evacuate ‘immediately’ ahead of Israeli military action.
The escalation followed another night of air raid sirens across Israel after missile and rocket attacks launched from Iran and by Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to reports.
Falling debris from intercepted missiles sparked a fire in the city of Holon, while fragments from Iranian projectiles were reported in areas near Tel Aviv in central Israel after the country’s air defence systems intercepted incoming rockets.
Amid the escalating hostilities, reports emerged that Israel has warned the United States it is running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors.
The latest developments came two weeks after the war between Israel and Iran erupted, with both sides exchanging missile strikes and air raids that have raised concerns about a wider regional conflict.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M