TEHRAN -- The head of the 
Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) on Saturday announced plans to establish a new hospital to serve the Lebanese affected by the ongoing Israeli war.
Pirhussein Kolivand pointed to the Iranian field hospital, which came under Israeli attack on Thursday, saying the fully equipped facility fortunately had no patients at the time of the strike.
“Fortunately, no patients had been admitted when the attack occurred,” he added.
This is Iran’s 56-bed field hospital on the Syria-Lebanon border after it was brutally targeted in an Israeli airstrike.
Kolivand reaffirmed the IRCS’s unwavering commitment to providing humanitarian aid to Lebanon, saying, “We will establish another hospital to support the victims of the war in Lebanon and continue our services to the war-stricken people.”
Addressing the damage inflicted by the Israeli strike, Kolivand noted the destruction of vital supplies.
“A large quantity of medical, food, and biological supplies, intended for the injured and displaced, was completely destroyed. Even the Red Crescent ambulances stationed at the hospital were set ablaze.”
He condemned the attack, describing it as a “crime against humanity,” emphasizing that “even medical facilities are protected under international law during war.”
Despite the losses, Kolivand assured that humanitarian efforts would not cease.
“Preparations are underway to resume our work. We have taken over a new hospital building, 40 kilometers from the previous site, and are in the process of equipping it.”
Kolivand also highlighted the critical needs of the Lebanese people, emphasizing the importance of both cash and non-cash donations.
“In addition to financial aid, the war-affected Lebanese require essential non-cash data-x-items such as canned food and everyday necessities like cooking utensils.”
He further pointed out the overwhelming response from aid workers. “More than 8,000 specialists have already volunteered to be sent to Lebanon... Cash and non-cash public donations will also be delivered swiftly through secure air, land, and sea routes.”
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi condemned Israel’s attack on the charity hospital, calling it “a war crime.”
“The attack by the Zionist regime on the 56-bed field hospital of the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Syria along with its medicine warehouse on October 9, 2024, and setting it on fire, while creating a serious obstacle to the provision of humanitarian services, is considered a war crime,” he said. 
“It is also considered a violation of the principles and rules of international humanitarian law contained in the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the customary international humanitarian rules, which absolutely prohibit any attack on civilian places and centers, especially medical centers and hospitals,” he stated.

Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations also condemned the bombing, labeling it as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and an undeniable war crime.
“This heinous attack on humanitarian aid is a flagrant violation of international law and an egregious attack on life-saving relief efforts,” Amir Saeid Iravani said in letters to UN Security Council president Pascale Baeriswyl and UN chief António Guterres.
“The humanitarian facility was established by the Iranian Red Crescent solely to provide critical assistance to displaced Lebanese civilians and victims of the Israeli regime’s relentless and barbaric aggression, offering a vital lifeline to those suffering in the face of such atrocities,” he added.
He emphasized that the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran had formally informed the International Committee of the Red Cross of its intention to establish the humanitarian aid center.
Iravani said the Iranian humanitarian aid depot included 200 hospital beds, a fully equipped field hospital with 56 beds and advanced medical equipment, oxygen production units, critical medical items, two mobile bakery machines, food and drinking water, 5,000 food packages, and other vital shelter materials.
 “Yet, despite its clear humanitarian purpose, the facility and its supplies were completely destroyed in this savage and terrorist attack,” he said.
“The deliberate targeting of humanitarian and medical facilities by the Israeli regime is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes an undeniable war crime. Under international law, any attack on civilian infrastructure, particularly humanitarian and medical facilities, equipment, and hospitals, is unequivocally prohibited.”
Iravani called on the Security Council to condemn the heinous crime in the strongest possible terms, and to take immediate and decisive action to prevent further violations by the Zionist regime.
“In light of the ongoing genocidal war and relentless aggression by the Israeli occupying regime against the people of Palestine and Lebanon, the Security Council must fulfill its duty to protect civilians, humanitarian aid workers, and medical facilities. International law must be upheld, and these egregious crimes cannot go unanswered. In this regard, the Security Council must act to ensure accountability and prevent further atrocities,” he said.