News Desk
BEIRUT: At least 394 people have been killed and 1,130 injured in ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon since Monday, according to the country’s health minister, as tensions escalate in the region.
Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said during a press conference that the casualties include 42 women and 83 children, while among the injured are 274 women and 254 children.
The latest military escalation followed limited rocket fire from the Hezbollah, drawing Israel into a broader campaign amid ongoing regional tensions linked to the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Despite a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in November 2024, Israel has continued near-daily operations that have left hundreds dead and wounded.
Since October 2023, Israel’s offensive in Lebanon has killed more than 4,000 people and injured around 17,000. The conflict escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024, and Lebanon was further drawn into the fighting when Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel, prompting a new wave of Israeli attacks that have killed nearly 300 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.
In southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, several buildings were reduced to rubble following Israeli strikes. In the town of Nabi Chit, an Israeli airborne raid left large craters in the ground and vehicles buried under debris, with one car reportedly thrown onto the roof of a two-storey building. Across Israel, air raid sirens forced residents into shelters as rockets and drones were reported incoming.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address that the Lebanese government must enforce the 2024 agreement to disarm Hezbollah, warning that continued aggression could have serious consequences for Lebanon.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also warned that Lebanon would “pay a heavy price” if Hezbollah is not disarmed, adding that Israel has no territorial ambitions but will not tolerate cross-border attacks.
Lebanon had earlier instructed its army to establish a state monopoly on arms. While troops have seized some Hezbollah weapons in southern areas, officials say fully enforcing the move could trigger internal tensions as the group has refused to surrender its arsenal.
Israeli officials said the latest operations are aimed at “removing the threat from Lebanon.” Overnight, Israeli helicopters deployed troops near Nabi Chit in the Bekaa Valley in a mission to recover the remains of Israeli air force navigator Ron Arad, who has been missing since 1986, but no remains were found.
The conflict continues to intensify, leaving civilians across Lebanon facing growing destruction and insecurity as the war shows no signs of ending.
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