BEIRUT — Israel carried out a major wave of airstrikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, hours after the United States and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire, Lebanese and Israeli officials said.
The Israeli military said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley. It described the operation as the largest coordinated strike of its kind in the current conflict with the Iran-backed group.
Lebanon's health ministry and civil defence service reported at least 182 to 254 people killed and more than 1,100 wounded in the strikes, one of the highest single-day tolls since the escalation of fighting with Hezbollah in March 2026. Details on the exact number of civilian versus militant casualties remained unclear, with Lebanese authorities stating many of the dead and injured were in residential and commercial areas.
The strikes followed the announcement of a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran aimed at pausing direct U.S.-Iran hostilities that had erupted in recent weeks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel backed the two-week pause in strikes on Iran but that the agreement did not extend to its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran and mediators including Pakistan had indicated the deal would include a halt to fighting in Lebanon.
"Hezbollah resumed rocket fire toward northern Israel later on Wednesday, the first such attacks since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire took effect," an Israeli military spokesperson said.
The Israeli military said its targets included Hezbollah command centers, military arrays and other infrastructure belonging to the group. It did not provide further details on the results of the strikes.
Lebanese officials condemned the attacks as a violation that threatened regional stability. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for international intervention to stop the violence, according to statements carried by Lebanese media.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensified in March 2026 after the group launched rockets into Israel in solidarity with Iran amid Israeli and U.S. actions against Iranian targets. Israel responded with a ground and air campaign in Lebanon.
As of Wednesday, the fighting in Lebanon had already displaced more than 1 million people and caused significant casualties on both sides, according to Lebanese authorities and international estimates. Precise overall figures were not immediately available.
Hezbollah did not immediately comment in detail on the strikes but said it would continue operations until Israeli aggression ceased.
Late on Wednesday, rescue teams continued searching rubble in affected areas of Beirut and southern Lebanon, with hospitals reporting they were overwhelmed, Lebanese civil defence sources said.
No immediate updates on further Israeli or Hezbollah actions were available as of early Thursday.
The U.S. State Department had no immediate comment on the Lebanon strikes in relation to the Iran ceasefire. Negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials are scheduled to begin in Islamabad on Friday.
