WHO says 4 health care workers killed, 25 injured in Iran since Feb. 28

GENEVA

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief said Thursday that the agency has verified 13 attacks on health care in Iran amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes, killing four and injuring 25 health care workers.

"WHO has verified 13 attacks on health care in Iran, and one in Lebanon," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva, without attributing the responsibility of the attacks to anyone.

WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Hanan Balkhy, for her part, said: "The attacks on the health care in Iran since Feb 28, ... there are four health care workers that have been killed and 25 health care workers have been injured."

She added that four ambulances have been damaged, 11 hospitals and six pre-hospital emergency posts were affected in the past five days.

Most of the health facilities, due to their proximity to these target sites, have not reported any structural damage, "only minor damages," according to Balkhy.

She stressed that operations at the WHO’s logistics hub for Global Health Emergencies in Dubai, UAE, are currently on hold due to insecurity.

Israel and the US have continued a large-scale offensive on Iran since Saturday, killing at least 926 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military officials.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.