Israel Launches Largest Wave of Airstrikes on Lebanon in Hours, Hundreds of Casualties Reported
The Israeli military unleashed its most extensive wave of airstrikes on Lebanon since the launch of Operation “Roar of the Lion,” targeting over 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites across the country within a span of just 10 minutes on Wednesday.
The strikes pounded the southern suburbs of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley, triggering massive explosions in residential areas as towering columns of smoke blanketed the sky. Lebanon’s health minister confirmed the attacks had resulted in hundreds of casualties nationwide.
Residents in Beirut and the south reported that the strikes came without the customary advance warnings to evacuate targeted buildings — a departure from procedures Israel had previously followed during this conflict.
According to the Israeli military, the operation was based on precise intelligence and had been meticulously planned over several weeks by its Operations Directorate, Intelligence Directorate, Air Force, and Northern Command, with the stated aim of inflicting deeper damage on Hezbollah’s infrastructure.
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Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz described the assault as a surprise attack targeting hundreds of Hezbollah members across the country.
The massive offensive came hours after the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied that the ceasefire framework agreed between the US and Iran also extended to the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Netanyahu has since doubled down on that position, insisting the Iran war truce does not cover Lebanon.
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official involved in ongoing negotiations told Reuters that Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday or Friday, ahead of planned peace talks in Pakistan, contingent on a ceasefire framework being agreed upon.
Inside Lebanon, Hezbollah is facing a growing wave of domestic criticism, with many Lebanese citizens holding the militant group responsible for drawing their country into a war they neither sought nor supported, and for prioritising the interests of its Iranian patron over those of Lebanon.