WHO says it has verified 13 attacks on health sites in Iran

WHO says ambulances damaged, hospital evacuated in Tehran after nearby strikes

The World Health ‌Organisation (WHO) chief said on Thursday that it has verified 13 attacks on health infrastructure in Iran amid ​a US-Israeli campaign and it was checking reports ​that four medics were killed and 25 ⁠others injured.

"WHO has verified 13 attacks on health ​care in Iran and one in Lebanon," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference, without attributing blame or giving details.

Read More: Iran claims downing US fighter jet, targeting Israel's Ben Gurion airport

Dr Hanan Balkhy added ​at the same briefing that four ambulances ​in Iran were also affected and that hospitals and other ‌health ⁠sites suffered minor damage due to strikes nearby, citing Iranian authorities.

One of these hospitals in the capital Tehran was evacuated as a result, the ​UN health agency ​previously ⁠said.

Iran's ambassador to the UN in Geneva has alleged that 10 facilities ​have been hit by military strikes ​in a ⁠letter to Tedros earlier this week.

Balkhy says that the WHO logistics hub in Dubai which provides ⁠health ​supplies to dozens of ​countries is temporarily out of service because of transport restrictions in ​the region.

Earlier, Israel's military said that it launched a "broad wave of strikes" on targets in Iran, after the Islamic republic fired rounds of missile barrages at Israeli territory.

The military said the targets of its latest strikes include Iranian "launch sites, air defence systems and additional infrastructure".

Air raid sirens rang out across multiple parts of Israel overnight as the military worked to intercept incoming Iranian fire.

There were no immediate reports of significant impact, although police said munitions fell in the Tel Aviv area, where one woman suffered mild shrapnel injuries.

Meanwhile the Israeli military called on people to leave 16 towns and villages in southern Lebanon in an "urgent warning" before using force against Hezbollah targets.