Aysu Bicer
12 March 2026•Update: 12 March 2026
LONDON
Health systems across parts of the Middle East are under severe pressure more than 10 days after the latest escalation in regional conflict, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
The UN health agency said thousands of people have been killed or injured as violence intensified across several countries.
More than 1,300 people have died in Iran and about 9,000 have been injured, according to reports cited by the WHO. In Lebanon, at least 570 people have been killed and more than 1,400 injured, while Israel has reported 15 deaths and 2,142 injuries.
The organization said attacks on health care facilities and personnel are also rising.
Since Feb. 28, the WHO has verified 18 attacks on health care in Iran, 25 in Lebanon and two in Israel. The incidents resulted in deaths and injuries among health workers, it said.
“Attacks on health care are increasing,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X, the US social media platform.
“These attacks not only claim lives but also deprive communities of critical care when they need it most,” he said.
The WHO warned that the conflict is also creating growing public health risks as large numbers of people are forced to flee their homes.
More than 100,000 people in Iran and up to 700,000 in Lebanon have been displaced, many living in worsening conditions with limited access to clean water and sanitation.
Vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, face an increased risk of illness, the agency said.
Medical services are also being disrupted by the closure of health facilities.
In Lebanon, 49 primary health care centers and five hospitals have shut down because of evacuation orders, while access to medical services is described as “severely restricted” in the occupied Palestinian territories and Gaza.
The conflict is also affecting the global delivery of medical supplies.
Airspace restrictions have disrupted supply chains, creating backlogs of essential health supplies intended for more than 1.5 million people across 25 countries.
The WHO called for urgent action from all parties involved in the fighting.
The US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, which have killed more than 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as over 150 schoolgirls.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and several Gulf countries hosting US military assets.
