TEL AVIV, Israel — Shortly after a ceasefire was declared between the U.S. and Iran, Israel’s military began what it termed its most powerful attacks yet on Lebanon on Wednesday, resulting in hundreds of casualties and turning the relief over the truce into widespread panic. These sprawling strikes targeted parts of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley, sending massive columns of acrid smoke into the sky and sparking desperate evacuations.
“These are not targeted attacks,” said Dr. Tania Baban, the Lebanon country director for the Chicago-based nonprofit MedGlobal, describing dozens of strikes across Beirut, with one building hit so close to hers that her ears were “still ringing.” Verified video and photos confirmed the widespread nature of the strikes, which Lebanese civil defense said had killed over 250 people, adding to the more than 1,500 casualties already recorded in Lebanon during Israel’s five-week-old invasion.
The timing of Israel’s amplified attacks immediately risked unraveling the delicate U.S.-led diplomacy with Iran. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called the attacks a violation of the negotiating framework that President Donald Trump had agreed to. French President Emmanuel Macron also weighed in, stating the ceasefire must be “fully respected by each of the belligerents, across all areas of confrontation, including in Lebanon,” as a “necessary condition for the ceasefire to be credible and lasting.”
Despite this, President Trump told PBS News that Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire deal “because of Hezbollah,” but promised the issue “would get taken care of.” This followed a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office rejecting an earlier announcement by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the deal would encompass Lebanon.
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Israel’s Military Justification and Escalation
The Israeli military confirmed its determination to degrade Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group and Iran’s patron state, even as truce talks proceeded. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated its airstrikes hit 100 targets in just 10 minutes, destroying Hezbollah headquarters, military arrays, and command-and-control centers, and “eliminating” over 40 Hezbollah militants. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the IDF’s international spokesperson, called the strikes the “result of meticulous planning over weeks.”
The IDF also suggested its attacks might expand further into northern Beirut, an area not traditionally associated with Hezbollah’s predominantly Shia Muslim base. The military claimed Hezbollah “has now begun using” non-Shia civilian populations as human shields.
Regional Reactions and Humanitarian Crisis
In response to the attacks, Iran threatened to suspend traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Meanwhile, the conflict has created a profound humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced since the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia reopened its fight against Israel last month. An aid worker in Beirut described “total chaos,” with bombs striking civilian areas with “no warning.”
Hezbollah, which had halted fire on northern Israel after the Iran-U.S.-Israel ceasefire took effect, later sought to assure the public it was on the “threshold of a major historic victory” and advised displaced families to wait for a formal ceasefire.
For most Lebanese civilians, the renewed fighting has once again cast them as unwilling participants in a regionwide conflict. “Lebanon can’t take it anymore,” said Ahmed Harm, a 54-year-old displaced man. “The country is collapsing economically, and everything is collapsing.” Israeli evacuation orders now cover approximately 15% of Lebanese territory.
