Israel bombs Hezbollah’s “intelligence headquarters” in the “burb”

As a result of the military escalation between Lebanon and Israel, the voices of social media users rose, demanding that equipment and mechanisms be provided to rescue victims trapped under the rubble, expressing their dissatisfaction with the lack of necessary equipment to deal with the disasters for him. the country is open.

With the escalation of battles between Hezbollah and Israel since the beginning of last week, Lebanon saw an increase in Israeli raids targeting large areas, which led to the collapse of a large number of buildings in several areas at the same time. This situation raised questions about the ability of the Lebanese rescue teams to respond to all the tasks assigned to them, and their willingness to withstand the battles and the raids that became bigger.

It should be noted that so far, the military escalation has killed 1,974 people in Lebanon and injured another 9,384.

The increase in pressure on rescue teams comes as a result of the strong economic crisis that Lebanon has been experiencing since 2019, which has affected various aspects of daily life, as being ‘getting basic needs has become a big challenge for citizens, so what about the essentials. provision for rescue teams who have greater challenges due to these extreme conditions?

“Unarmed” conflict.

The head of the Public Relations Department of the Beirut Fire Brigade, Captain Ali Negm, paints a picture of the reality of the regiment, in an interview with the “Al-Hurra” website, and says, “Brave men, moderate equipment, and A dh “despite the lack of capabilities, the regiment is still in a state of alert, ready to face any emergency. In the suburbs of Beirut, where the bombing does not stop, we face death to save people’s lives.”

Rescue teams are working non-stop to get the injured out from under the rubble, and according to the head of the Civil Protection and Operations Unit, Walid Al-Hashash, “the human teams are fully prepared, but there is a lack of equipment and tools . presents us with a great challenge.”

Al-Hashash reveals in an interview with the Al-Hurra website, “During the first ten months of the opening of the South Lebanon front, the working conditions were better, but the increase in weapons encouraged short to implement our previous rescue plans. applied to deal with such situations.”

He emphasizes that “there is a lack of personal equipment, such as fire suits and shields for the elements, and the reliance on old equipment, some of which date back to 1977 and which break down again, hampering the effectiveness of underwater rescue operations. circumstances.”

Najm also points out that members of the fire brigade “stand naked in the face of threats that they are in dire need of integrated personal protective equipment, including heat and fire resistant clothing, powerful lighting devices, alarm systems advanced that monitors their movement. , effective communication tools, and public safety equipment.” This basic equipment is essential to protect their lives while performing their duties. “

Najm says that “ensuring the needs of the members of the regiment depends on coordination between the Governor of Beirut, Judge Marwan Abboud, and the commander of the regiment, Brigadier General Maher Al-Ajouz,” emphasizing “despite the efforts of both parties. , the regiment has not yet received any support, whether from internal or external parties, due to the economic conditions which are a major obstacle to the provision of this aid.

Regarding the means of debris removal, Najm explains, “The Beirut Municipality Engineering Department provides these tools, but additional support from other parties is needed during disasters.”

Warning of side effects

Rescue work from under the rubble, Al-Hashash explains, requires “extreme care to harm the victims, who must use light equipment in the first stages, before using heavy equipment that poses a danger to the detainees. “

Among the additional challenges facing rescuers is the ongoing bombing, which complicates the logistical aspects of their work. giving fuel to vehicles, which is a dangerous matter during a raid.”

Security threats sometimes force rescue teams to evacuate the site, which causes, according to Al-Hashash, “delays that could cost the lives of innocent people, stressing that the speed of debris removal is ‘ play an important role in saving lives.”

Although the Civil Defense has not received any support with new equipment yet, its members continue to carry out their tasks using what is available, and Al-Hashash praises the cooperation and the solidarity between Civil Defense centers throughout the country, considering “this unity, together with the high morale of the members, whether they are employees or volunteers, which number about 5,000 person, are a key factor in the success of rescue, ambulance and fire control operations.”

He confirms that the Director General of Civil Defense, Brigadier General Raymond Khattar, and the Minister of the Interior, Judge Bassam Al-Mawlawi, are in regular contact with international organizations to ensure what teams need to receive civil protection due to the economic crisis in Lebanon. had been suffering for five years.

Talking about how to deal with threats, Najm says that “there is no way to protect us from missiles or missiles of importance” to rely on God in fulfilling our humanitarian, moral and national duty, because this enthusiasm represents a strong incentive to continue the work despite the great risks.”

Even if military operations have increased, members of the Fire Brigade are ready, Najm emphasizes, to fulfill their duty, “This is the result of coordination between the command of the Regiment and the General Directorate of Civil Defense in Beirut, which allows multiple areas to be covered at the same time.”

But Al-Hashash warns that continuing the current situation for a long time without providing the necessary equipment to rescuers could “exacerbate the problems and the challenges that yes before increasing these teams. “

It should be noted that the Israeli army announced about two weeks ago that they would continue their airstrikes on Lebanon, as part of a military operation called “Arrows of the North.” On the other hand, Hezbollah continues to announce that it will launch missiles at Israeli sites, where defense systems are often able to stop them.