Israel strikes Lebanon after excluding it from Iran ceasefire
Last updated: 13:46 UTC, April 08 2026 | Started: 2026-04-08 12:01 | 2 update(s) | Avg confidence: 90/100
The story so far: Israel and Hezbollah have fought intermittently since the 1982 founding of the Iran-backed Lebanese militia. The current war escalated on March 2, 2026, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel after the US-Israeli assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — collapsing a fragile November 2024 ceasefire that had already been violated more than 2,000 times by Israel, per UN records. Israel responded with a broad air campaign and, on March 16, a ground invasion of southern Lebanon aimed at permanently disarming Hezbollah and establishing a buffer zone.
Latest Updates
2026-04-08 13:46 — Israel strikes Lebanon after excluding it from Iran ceasefire
On April 8, Netanyahu's office announced Israel backed the US-Iran two-week truce but that it 'does not include Lebanon,' then immediately escalated, launching what the Israeli military described as its biggest single strike of the war against more than 100 targets across Lebanon, killing at least 10 people, according to The National and Reuters.
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2026-04-08 12:01 — Israel strikes Beirut as Lebanon ceasefire dispute erupts on April 8
Israel's military declared on April 8 that it has halted strikes on Iran in line with the ceasefire but said it 'continues fighting and ground operations' against Hezbollah in Lebanon, issuing fresh evacuation orders for the southern city of Tyre and carrying out airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, the IDF and Lebanese media reported (AP, Times of Israel).
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What We Know
- Israel's military declared on April 8 that it has halted strikes on Iran in line with the ceasefire but said it 'continues fighting and ground operations' against Hezbollah in Lebanon, issuing fresh evacuation orders for the southern city of Tyre and carrying out airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, the IDF and Lebanese media reported (AP, Times of Israel).
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the US-Iran two-week ceasefire 'does not include Lebanon', directly contradicting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who announced the ceasefire covered 'everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere' — a key contested point that remained unresolved on April 8 (Al Jazeera, AP).
- At least 8 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sidon and 4 more in Israeli shelling of Jal Al-Bahr on April 8, Lebanon's Health Ministry said, as fighting on the Lebanon front continued despite Hezbollah's announcement that it had halted its own attacks on Israel (NBC News, AP).
- Iran's Supreme National Security Council formally accepted the two-week ceasefire on April 7–8 but stated in its acceptance: 'It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war.' Iran had conditioned any ceasefire on an end to attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, a condition Israel rejected (Washington Post, AP).
- Iran had launched attacks on Gulf Arab states hours after the ceasefire announcement; the UAE reported its air defenses firing at an incoming Iranian missile barrage on April 8, and operations at Abu Dhabi's Habshan gas complex were suspended after debris injuries — underscoring how fragile the truce is in its opening hours (AP, NBC News).
- On April 8, Netanyahu's office announced Israel backed the US-Iran two-week truce but that it 'does not include Lebanon,' then immediately escalated, launching what the Israeli military described as its biggest single strike of the war against more than 100 targets across Lebanon, killing at least 10 people, according to The National and Reuters.
- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, acting as ceasefire mediator, announced the deal covered 'everywhere including Lebanon,' directly contradicting Netanyahu; Iran also asserted the truce encompassed 'all fronts, including support for Islamic resistance in Lebanon,' per The National — creating an unresolved three-way diplomatic rupture.
- Israel struck the southern city of Sidon shortly before the ceasefire announcement, killing eight people in a café, and continued attacks in Beirut's southern suburbs and Tyre after the announcement, according to AFP and Lebanon's state-run National News Agency.
- As of April 6, at least 1,497 people have been killed and 4,639 wounded by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since March 2, with more than 1.2 million displaced — roughly one-sixth of Lebanon's population — according to Lebanese authorities, confirmed by UN data.
- Israel's ground invasion, launched March 16, has systematically demolished villages in southern Lebanon, with Defense Minister Israel Katz stating Israeli forces would not leave the south until Hezbollah is disarmed and that a buffer zone covering almost one-tenth of Lebanon would bar approximately 600,000 people from returning home, per the IDF and CFR.
Still Unclear
- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif via X (cited by Al Jazeera, AP): Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the ceasefire was 'effective immediately' and covered 'everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere', meaning Israel's attacks on Hezbollah should stop.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu via X statement (Al Jazeera, AP): Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the two-week ceasefire 'does not include Lebanon' and that Israeli operations against Hezbollah would continue.
- AP, Military.com (citing UAE and Israeli reports): Iran launched new attacks on Gulf Arab states and Israel in the hours after the ceasefire announcement was made.
Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif statement: Pakistan stated the ceasefire was to begin immediately and that Iran had agreed to halt all hostilities.
- (Unverified — anonymous source) Hezbollah's decision to enter the war on March 2 may not have been sanctioned by its political leadership and was instead coordinated directly between Iran's IRGC Quds Force and Hezbollah's armed wing. [Atlantic Council dispatch citing unnamed diplomatic and Hezbollah sources]
- (Unverified — single source | not independently corroborated) Qatar struck Iran after Iran attempted to strike Doha's airport and shot down two Iranian Su-24 bombers. [Western diplomats cited by The Jerusalem Post; Channel 12]
- Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif via X; Iranian government statement, per The National and Reuters: Pakistan's PM Sharif announced the ceasefire applies 'everywhere including Lebanon,' and Iran asserted it covers all fronts including Hezbollah.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's office, statement on X, April 8, 2026 (Reuters): The two-week ceasefire 'does not include Lebanon,' and Israel continued air and ground operations against Hezbollah after the announcement.
- Israel Defense Forces: The IDF claimed it killed approximately 1,000 Hezbollah fighters since the renewed war began on March 2.
Reuters, citing sources familiar with Hezbollah's count, via Long War Journal: Internal Hezbollah sources put the group's own fighter casualty count at approximately 400.
- (Unverified — single source; Israeli military told AFP it was 'not aware' of such an incident; Al Jazeera stated it could not independently verify the claim) Hezbollah claimed it fired a cruise missile at an Israeli warship 126km off the Lebanese coast on April 5. [Hezbollah statement, reported by Al Jazeera]
- (Unverified — anonymous source; not independently corroborated by named officials or Hezbollah directly) According to Reuters, citing three Lebanese sources, Hezbollah halted fire on Israel and Israeli forces in Lebanon in the early hours of April 8 as part of the US-Iran ceasefire. [Reuters, via Countercurrents, citing three unnamed Lebanese sources]
Key Figures
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| People killed in Lebanon since the 2026 Lebanon war began on March 2 | at least 1,497 killed, including 57 health workers | Lebanese Health Ministry, cited by Al Jazeera (April 8, 2026) |
| Lebanese civilians and militants displaced | more than 1 million (one-sixth of the country's population) | Lebanese government, cited by Wikipedia/AP |
| Hezbollah fighters killed (IDF claim) | approximately 1,100 | IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, April 6, 2026 |
| Israeli civilians killed by Iranian and Hezbollah strikes since war began | 19 civilians killed, more than 6,594 injured | Alma Research and Education Center, citing cumulative IDF/MDA data (as of April 3, 2026) |
| Hezbollah rockets fired at Israel since March 2 (cumulative) | as many as 1,800 rockets and drones in the first month; 5,000 total projectiles by March 31 | IDF; Reuters cited by FDD's Long War Journal |
| Duration of ceasefire agreed | two weeks, effective April 8, 2026 | AP, Iranian Supreme National Security Council statement |
| Total killed in Lebanon since March 2 war outbreak | At least 1,497 (as of April 6) | Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health, via Wikipedia/Al Jazeera |
| Total wounded in Lebanon since March 2 | 4,639 | Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health, as of April 6 |
| People displaced inside Lebanon | More than 1.2 million (approx. one-sixth of population) | UN data, Lebanese authorities, Al Jazeera |
| Killed in Lebanon on April 8 after ceasefire exclusion announcement | At least 10 | Lebanon Health Ministry / Lebanese media, per The National and Reuters |
| Hezbollah projectiles fired at Israel since March 2 | 5,000 (as of March 31) | Reuters, via Long War Journal |
| Israeli soldiers killed in renewed Lebanon war | At least 10 | Al Jazeera / IDF |
| Proposed Israeli buffer zone population barred from return | Approximately 600,000 people | Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, per CFR |
| World Bank estimate of damage to residential buildings in Lebanon | $2.8 billion | World Bank, via Al Jazeera |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the US-Iran ceasefire apply to Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon?
Israel says no. Prime Minister Netanyahu stated on April 8 that the ceasefire 'does not include Lebanon' and the IDF confirmed it continues ground and air operations there. Pakistan, which brokered the deal, and Iran both said the ceasefire should cover Lebanon — a fundamental contradiction that remains unresolved.
How many people have been killed in Lebanon since the 2026 Israel-Hezbollah war started?
At least 1,497 people have been killed in Lebanon since fighting resumed on March 2, 2026, including 57 health workers, according to Lebanese authorities cited by Al Jazeera on April 8. Over one million Lebanese — one-sixth of the country — have been displaced.
Will the Strait of Hormuz reopen after the ceasefire, and what happens to global shipping?
Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under the ceasefire terms. However, Lloyd's Market Association head Neil Roberts said trade into the Gulf was 'highly unlikely' to simply resume, as 'none of the underlying tensions' are resolved. Maersk said it needs more clarity before deciding to transit the waterway.
Why is Lebanon excluded from the US-Iran ceasefire?
Israeli PM Netanyahu declared on April 8 that the two-week US-Iran truce does not cover Lebanon. Israel views its campaign against Hezbollah as a separate conflict aimed at disarming the group and establishing a buffer zone. This directly contradicts the position of Pakistan's PM Sharif, who mediated the deal and said it covered Lebanon.
How many people have been killed and displaced in Lebanon since the war started?
Lebanese authorities report at least 1,497 people killed and 4,639 wounded as of April 6, since Israel began major strikes on March 2. More than 1.2 million people — roughly one-sixth of Lebanon's total population — have been displaced, according to UN data and Lebanese government figures.
What is Israel's stated goal in Lebanon and will it withdraw?
Israeli Defense Minister Katz and PM Netanyahu have stated Israeli forces will remain in a buffer zone in southern Lebanon — covering nearly one-tenth of the country — until Hezbollah is disarmed. The IDF reframed its objective on April 3, saying full military disarmament was unrealistic in the near term, signaling a prolonged occupation, per the Long War Journal.
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