Lebanon thought there was a ceasefire – then Israel unleashed deadly blitz
Lebanon thought there was a ceasefire – then Israel unleashed deadly blitz
8 April
After a brief truce, the skies over Lebanon turned violent. Israeli jets launched a 10-minute aerial assault, striking multiple locations in the country. The attack, which killed at least 303 individuals and injured 1,150 others, was condemned by Lebanese authorities and global observers. However, the United States remained silent, offering no rebuke to its ally in the conflict.
The ceasefire agreement, announced just hours earlier by US President Donald Trump, was meant to pause hostilities across the Middle East. Mediated by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the deal claimed to include Lebanon as a key location. Despite this, Israel’s military operations continued, targeting Hezbollah positions under the guise of a separate campaign.
Hezbollah, a key Iranian proxy, faced heavy strikes in central Beirut, including areas like Dahieh and the city center. The attacks left densely populated zones in ruins, with debris and casualties scattered across the region. Safa Bleik, a nurse at Rafik Hariri Hospital, described the chaos: “The first patients came in with severe head injuries, fragments of glass, metal and debris lodged in their bodies. Many were unconscious. Some died shortly after arrival.”
Following the strike, the IDF claimed to have “eliminated” Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary to Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem. While the claim remains unverified, the military asserted it had targeted 100+ Hezbollah headquarters and command centers in Beirut, Bekaa, and southern Lebanon. Casualties were reported in the Bekaa Valley and eastern regions, with at least 70 “terrorists” killed in subsequent Israeli strikes.
Lebanese officials reported over 1,700 deaths since the latest Israeli campaign began last month. The war, which erupted on 28 February with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, triggered retaliation from Tehran and its proxies. Hezbollah targeted Israel in Lebanon, while the Houthis attacked in Yemen. In response, Israel expanded its operations, occupying large parts of the country.
On the day of the attack, Beirut felt the weight of tragedy. A day of national mourning was observed, with streets eerily quiet despite usual activity. President Joseph Aoun called the violence a “massacre,” noting that search teams were still recovering bodies from a destroyed 10-storey building in Tallet el Khayat. The strike occurred without warning, leaving residents unprepared for the devastation.
The US and its allies had agreed to a two-week ceasefire, but Israel’s government argued the deal excluded Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration described the conflict in the country as a “separate skirmish.” While Iran criticized the assault as a “blatant violation,” the Israeli military insisted its actions were aimed at weakening Hezbollah and achieving military goals.
“I was trying to stop the bleeding of a man who had arrived with severe head trauma and shrapnel in his abdomen, when a young man came up to me holding a phone, showing me a photo of his brother. He was asking if I had seen him,” said Safa Bleik.
