Under fire: Lebanon’s first responders | Al Jazeera Originals

What the report says

Al Jazeera’s documentary "Under Fire: Lebanon’s first responders" examines the work of emergency crews in Lebanon as Israeli military attacks continue across the country. The film focuses on the daily risks faced by first responders who answer emergency calls, evacuate the wounded and search for survivors while operating in the same dangerous conditions as the people they are trying to help.

The story highlights a Civil Defense team in southern Lebanon led by Ali Safiuddin. According to Al Jazeera, Safiuddin has spent years serving in emergency response, and the station has become both his workplace and, in practical terms, his home. The documentary presents his team as a close-knit unit shaped by repeated exposure to war, destruction and disaster.

Al Jazeera frames the piece as both a wartime dispatch and a portrait of sacrifice, emphasizing the personal toll on responders who keep working despite mounting danger. The documentary is set against the broader backdrop of the conflict in Lebanon, where rescue workers must balance public duty with the threat to their own safety. As a general matter, first responders in active conflict zones often face disrupted communications, damaged infrastructure and delayed access to casualties, which can make rescue work especially difficult.