Israel has reached out to Lebanon via international diplomatic officials and offered the already-distressed government in Beirut humanitarian aid in coping with the aftermath of a huge explosion in the capital on Tuesday that killed at least 78 people and left over 4,000 injured.
Representatives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that "After approving humanitarian and medical aid for Lebanon, the prime minister has instructed National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat to speak with UN envoy [Sergey] Mladenov to look into how Israel can help."
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IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman tweeted: "Humanitarian aid to Lebanon – now is the time to rise above any conflict."
Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, head of the Arabic division of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, tweeted: "Under instructions from the defense minister and the foreign minister, Israel has reached out to Lebanon via international diplomatic officials and offered the Lebanese government medical humanitarian aid. Israel has much experience in these areas and has proven it by the humanitarian delegations it has sent throughout the world in recent years."
Adraee echoed Zilberman's call to "rise above any conflict."
President Reuven Rivlin said Tuesday that Israel "shares the pain of the Lebanese people in this time of disaster and extends its hand to help at this difficult time."
Meanwhile, Israel is making preparations to take in UNIFIL personnel who were wounded in the explosion. As of Tuesday evening, the plan was for the wounded UN force members to be taken to the border crossing at Rosh Hanikra and treated at Rebecca Sieff Hospital in Safed.
The hospital said in a Facebook post: "We are experienced and ready!"
Welfare Minister Itzik Shmuli tweeted: "The heart breaks at the difficult images coming out of Beirut. Our heart is with the Lebanese people at this difficult time and we will do everything we can to help. When tragedies like these happen, even the most tense border cannot make us forget that we're all human beings."
As of Tuesday night, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Qatar had also offered to provide humanitarian aid to Lebanon.
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