Wave of Israeli Strikes Across Lebanon Kills Hundreds in Minutes

Israel launched a series of strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday afternoon, targeting residential neighborhoods in Beirut, its outskirts and suburbs, south Lebanon, Baalbek and the Bekaa-Hermel region.

Israeli occupation forces carried out more than 100 strikes across the country in about 10 minutes, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman said in a post on X, describing it as its largest attack since March 2, 2026. The UNHCR office in Lebanon said more than 60 areas were hit.

Israeli airstrikes targeting densely populated residential areas, including apartment complexes and grocery shops, killed at least 254 people and wounded 1,165, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Ghassan Abu Sitta, chair of conflict medicine at the American University of Beirut wrote in a post on X that Beirut hospitals were “flooded with the wounded.” In an interview with Al Jazeera, Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine called for international aid for the country’s medical sector.

In the village of Shmestar, an Israeli airstrike struck a funeral procession, killing at least 10 people, including three first responders, and wounding 15 others.

In Saida, an airstrike killed Sheikh Sadek al-Naboulsi, a political science professor and popular religious figure close to Hezbollah, after hitting the al-Sayyida al-Zahraa complex. His brother, Mohammad Afif al-Naboulsi, who headed Hezbollah’s media relations office, was assassinated by Israel on November 17, 2024.

Said el-Khansa, the son of a former mayor of Ghobeiry, was killed in a separate attack that wounded several members of his family.

In Sour, Israeli attacks killed Sawt al-Farah journalist Ghada Dayekh, whose body was later recovered from the rubble. Al Manar journalist Suzanne Khalil was also killed in an Israeli airstrike in Kayfoun.

Israel has killed 28 journalists and media workers since late 2023, 13 of them were directly targeted, according to data compiled by The Public Source.

Early Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump and the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced their respective acceptance of a two-week ceasefire deal. The agreement is conditional on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the halting of attacks against Iran, and the U.S. accepting Iran’s 10-point plan as a framework for negotiations, which includes the withdrawal of U.S. forces from regional bases as well as the end of the war on “all components of the Axis of Resistance.”

Iran said it had “achieved a great victory and forced the criminal America to accept its 10-point plan.”

Shortly after the announcement, Hezbollah said it would pause its operations, as Lebanon was included in the agreement, according to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was brokering the temporary peace deal between the U.S. and Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said, however, that the ceasefire did not apply to Lebanon, and shortly after his country struck Lebanon, Trump told PBS News that Lebanon was “not included in the deal.”

Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the ceasefire but said that “no entity has the right to negotiate on behalf of Lebanon,” calling such efforts a violation of its “sovereignty.” The ministry added that Lebanon is ready for “direct negotiations with Israel.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for support from “friends of Lebanon” in a post on X to stop Israel’s aggression “by all available means,” saying that Israel is disregarding, and has never respected, principles of international law.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the country is preparing to respond to Israel’s strikes, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Israel and the United States: “If the attacks on our beloved Lebanon do not cease immediately, we will act according to our duty and deliver a resounding response to the evil aggressors in the region.”

Iran halted oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as Tasnim news agency later reported that Iran may withdraw from the ceasefire if Israel continues its new campaign, “Operation Eternal Darkness" against Lebanon.

About 90 minutes after the strikes, the Israeli military spokesperson issued a threat to all the residents of the country by making an unsubstantiated claim that Hezbollah has repositioned in other parts of the country. The post on X included a map of Lebanon resembling maps previously used to signal displacement notices.

Israel resumed its attacks in the early evening, striking a residential building in Tallet el-Khayyat. Several nearby buildings collapsed from the impact, and rescue teams are working through the rubble to locate residents. At the time of publication, search and rescue efforts are ongoing as people are reported missing and trapped under rubble.