A wave of grief swept through southern Lebanon as farewell ceremonies were held for three Civil Defense paramedics killed while answering a call for help.
The men died in Majdal Zoun, in the Tyre district, after Lebanese officials said a second Israeli strike hit the area as rescue teams were responding to an earlier attack. Two Lebanese soldiers were also wounded.
At the edge of a freshly dug grave, final prayers were whispered through tears. A father leaned forward in sorrow. A colleague bowed his head.
Around them, Civil Defense members stood shoulder to shoulder, silent and shaken by the loss of men who had gone out to save lives and never returned.
A five-month-old boy is placed on the coffin of his father – Lebanese Civil Defense worker Hussein Ali Satti, who was killed alongside two colleagues in an Israeli strike on Tuesday – during his funeral procession in Tyre, Lebanon. (Photo: Hussein Malla/AP)
But one burial could not take place as planned. Israel issued new evacuation orders for the town where one of the paramedics was meant to be laid to rest, leaving mourners unable to complete the funeral.
The burial that did go ahead was brief, but the farewell continued at the Civil Defense center. Ambulances that once carried the wounded were covered with wreaths.
Helmets, stretchers and rescue vehicles stood as symbols of sacrifice, forming the backdrop to a ceremony for three first responders killed on duty.
"It was a very difficult period when we heard the news about our friends and colleagues," said Civil Defense rescuer Momad Saayed.
"They had been surrounded, hit by the airstrike, and martyred. It was extremely difficult — not easy at all."
Lebanese Civil Defense members and mourners gather around the coffins of three colleagues killed in an Israeli strike on Tuesday during their funeral procession in Tyre. (Photo: Hussein Malla/AP)
For their colleagues, the message was clear: these men were not fighters. They were rescuers.
General Imad Khreish, Director General of Civil Defense, said the mission of his teams remains saving civilian lives despite the danger.
"Our concern is to save lives," he said. "To save lives, we need to interfere to save the lives of our people, of the civilians there."
Across South Lebanon, the grief is public, but the fear is deeply personal. In nearby al-Hinniyeh, local officials said civilians remain trapped under rubble after a separate strike, with rescue access delayed by security concerns and the need for permission.
"Until today, we still have not been able to reach the people who are under the rubble," said the Mukhtar of al-Hinniyeh. "Maybe they are alive. Maybe they are injured. But the important thing is that we reach them."
For families still waiting, every passing hour brings more anguish. For the rescuers still working, every call now carries the same haunting risk.