A cancer hospital in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz was temporarily out of service after US airstrikes near the facility led to the evacuation of 211 patients, including children undergoing chemotherapy, Iranian state media reported.The raids late Wednesday targeted areas near Shahid Baghaei Hospital, a specialized hematology and oncology center in Khuzestan Province. The shock waves resulting from the explosions affected the facility, prompting authorities to evacuate patients to other medical centers.
One employee told Al Jazeera: “Some people had children in their arms, some had IVs in their hands, some were in wheelchairs. Everyone got out.”The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said the evacuation was carried out “to protect the lives of patients”, adding that the hospital had been temporarily taken out of service. No injuries were reported.
Iran condemns the “barbaric” attack.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman condemned the US raid near a children’s cancer hospital in Ahvaz as a “brutal war crime,” saying the attack led to the emergency evacuation of 211 patients undergoing chemotherapy.
“Shahid Baghaei Hospital, a children’s cancer treatment center in Ahvaz, was evacuated last night after the US attacked a nearby site,” Ismail Baghaei said on Channel X.
“This barbaric attack, reminiscent of the atrocities committed by Israel against healthcare facilities, caused severe suffering and anxiety in children being treated in the hospital, and forced the emergency evacuation of 211 patients undergoing chemotherapy.”Baghaei added: “This constitutes a cowardly war crime against innocent human beings – children who are bravely fighting for their lives.
Those who ceaselessly preach human rights, but deliberately turn a blind eye to the targeting of hospitals and health centres, have lost every shred of moral credibility.Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences confirmed that all patients have been transferred to other hospitals and their treatment continues without interruption. The Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, published a picture of the hospital entrance, showing the logo of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the phrase “Ground Forces” written on the sign.There was no immediate American response. The United States has carried out several waves of strikes on Iran’s southern regions in recent days, saying the operations are aimed at “weakening Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz.
