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Largest attacks in over 40 years, 1,500 killed: Why Israel continues to pound Lebanon despite US-Iran truce
The surprise attacks on Lebanon, the heaviest in recent months, reminded the country of the Israeli invasion of Beirut in 1982.
The two-week truce between the United States and Iran covered a range of issues between the warring parties — including Hormuz blockade, sanctions, aerial strikes and wartime losses — putting an end to the five weeks of conflict.
Though the latest truce has largely put the attacks in the Middle East to a pause, Israel continue to pound Lebanon, carrying out even deadlier strikes near Beirut neighbourhoods.
Follow the latest updates on US-Iran conflict
Israel, which has supported US President Donald Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran, has not agreed to pause Lebanon strikes.
Why Israel is attacking Lebanon
On Wednesday, Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the start of conflict last month, targeting more than 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites in capital Beirut.
According to several reports, the surprise attacks on Lebanon reminded the country of the Israeli invasion of Beirut in 1982.
The strikes on Beirut came without warning, prompting people on the street to flee and motorists to honk their horns in an effort to clear the way, AFP reported.
“I saw the blast, it was very strong, and there were children killed, some with their hands cut off,” Yasser Abdallah, who works in an appliance store in Beirut, told AFP.
Wednesday's strikes have killed 89 people and wounded 700 others, according to a spokesperson for Lebanon's health ministry.
Also Read: Inside the 10 Iran demands that US ‘accepted’ to get the 2-week ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire did not apply to Lebanon and that the military operations against Hezbollah would continue.
"The battle in Lebanon continues, and the ceasefire does not include Lebanon," Israel's military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Iranian Fars News Agency said Tehran will withdraw from ceasefire agreement if attack on Lebanon continued.
Israel earlier issued evacuation orders covering around 15 per cent of Lebanese territory since March 2, mostly in the south and in suburbs south of Beirut.
It has vowed to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River as part of a "security zone" it says is intended to protect its northern residents.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he discussed the Israeli “violations of the ceasefire in Iran and Lebanon” in a phone call with Pakistani army chief General Asim Munir.
Also Read: Away from public eye, how an 'injured' Mojtaba influenced truce deal with the US
1,500 killed, 400 Hezbollah fighters dead
The latest attacks is the biggest blow to Iran-backed Hezbollah group since a September 2024 operation that caused thousands of the group's pagers to explode.
More than 1,500 people have been killed in Israel's air and ground campaign across Lebanon, including more than 130 children and more than 100 women, since March 2 when Hezbollah started firing rockets at Israel in solidarity with Tehran. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced in the conflict.
By late March, more than 400 Hezbollah fighters had been killed, sources told Reuters. Israel says 10 of its soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon in the same period.
