BEIRUT
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said Thursday it intends to file a complaint against Israel for its targeting of civilians and paramedics.
The ministry said it asked its permanent mission to the UN to file the complaint with the UN Security Council.
The complaint relates to the Israeli army's killing of 18 Lebanese in southern Lebanon in Habbariyeh, Baalbek and Naqoura -- all of which were civilians and paramedics, according to a statement.
A series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours has killed 16 Lebanese, mostly civilians and paramedics, marking one of the deadliest Israeli attacks on Lebanon since Oct. 8.
Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of weapons fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.
The Israeli-Lebanese escalation comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 32,500 Palestinians following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.
More than 300 people are estimated to have been killed in Lebanon, including at least 247 Hezbollah fighters, since clashes erupted in October.
Nearly 20 Israelis have been killed, according to Israeli figures.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar