9 April 2026
Lebanon: Death toll from Wednesday’s Israeli attacks rises to 203
The death toll from massive Israeli air strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday, including the capital Beirut, has officially risen to 203 – while more than 1,000 people were injured.
“The death toll in the aggression against Lebanon on Wednesday reached 203 martyrs and more than 1,000 injured,” Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine said before entering a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Israeli strikes struck busy commercial and residential areas in central Beirut without warning on Wednesday, just hours after a ceasefire was announced between the United States, Israel and Iran. But while Iran has insisted the force also applies to Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, US President Donald Trump said it was an “isolate skirmish”, while Vice President JD Vance referred to a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Hezbollah has accused Israel of “violations of the ceasefire”, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that his forces would continue to attack the Iran-backed Islamist group “wherever necessary”.
“We are continuing to attack Hezbollah with force, precision and determination,” he wrote on social media. “Our message is clear: whoever takes action against Israeli civilians – we will attack them. We will continue to attack Hezbollah wherever necessary until we fully restore security for the residents of the North.” [of Israel]”
According to an American think tank, misinterpretations of the ceasefire agreement regarding Lebanon, whether deliberate or not, are putting the truth “on the brink of collapse”.
“Even if Lebanon was formally out of the agreement, the scale of Israel’s attacks could still be seen as escalating,” the New York-based Soufan Center wrote in an analysis cited by the Associated Press.
“Israel’s strikes can be understood as an attempt to drive a wedge between Iran and its proxies and a response to allegedly being sidelined in the original ceasefire discussions.”