Israel hits 100 Lebanon targets in 10 minutes, 254 killed after Iran ceasefire
Last updated: 19:01 UTC, April 08 2026 | Started: 2026-04-08 14:01 | 2 update(s) | Avg confidence: 88/100
The story so far: Israel relaunched full-scale military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon on March 2, 2026, after the Iran-backed group fired rockets into Israel following a US-Israeli strike on Iran. A previous Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire had been brokered in November 2024, but Israel conducted near-daily strikes throughout the intervening period, with the UN documenting over 10,000 violations. Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon on March 16 and has declared its intent to establish a permanent security buffer zone up to the Litani River.
Latest Updates
2026-04-08 19:01 — Israel hits 100 Lebanon targets in 10 minutes, 254 killed after Iran ceasefire
Israel launched what its military called its 'largest coordinated strike' on Lebanon since March 2, hitting more than 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites across Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon within a 10-minute window on April 8, the IDF announced; Lebanon's civil defence service told Reuters the strikes killed more than 250 people and wounded over 1,165.
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2026-04-08 14:01 — Israel strikes Beirut as Lebanon excluded from Iran ceasefire
Israel launched fresh airstrikes on Beirut on April 8, 2026, with smoke rising from a struck building in the capital, as the IDF carried out what it described as its largest wave of strikes on Hezbollah since the conflict began, according to the Times of Israel liveblog.
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What We Know
- Israel launched fresh airstrikes on Beirut on April 8, 2026, with smoke rising from a struck building in the capital, as the IDF carried out what it described as its largest wave of strikes on Hezbollah since the conflict began, according to the Times of Israel liveblog.
- A US-Iran two-week ceasefire was declared, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Lebanon was excluded from the agreement; Lebanon's army warned displaced civilians against returning south because they 'may be exposing themselves to the ongoing Israeli attacks,' AFP reported.
- Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, France's President Emmanuel Macron, and Egypt — all involved in mediating the Iran deal — asserted Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire, directly contradicting Netanyahu's position, according to Times of Israel and AFP.
- Hezbollah issued its first statement since the Iran ceasefire, calling on Lebanese civilians not to return to IDF-evacuated areas 'before the official final announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon,' framing the moment as a pending 'historic victory,' Times of Israel reported.
- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced plans to destroy Lebanese border towns and maintain a permanent security zone up to the Litani River in southern Lebanon, comparing the campaign to Israel's operation in Gaza, according to CFR and Al Jazeera.
- Israel launched what its military called its 'largest coordinated strike' on Lebanon since March 2, hitting more than 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites across Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon within a 10-minute window on April 8, the IDF announced; Lebanon's civil defence service told Reuters the strikes killed more than 250 people and wounded over 1,165.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had hours earlier rejected Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's announcement that the US-Iran two-week ceasefire covered 'Lebanon and elsewhere,' stating explicitly that Lebanon was not included in the agreement; President Trump confirmed to PBS News that Lebanon was excluded 'because of Hezbollah.'
- Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that Washington 'must choose — ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both,' and an IRGC-affiliated Iranian news agency reported that Tehran was suspending tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in direct response to the Lebanon strikes, threatening to collapse the ceasefire.
- IDF Staff Sergeant Touvel Yosef Lifshiz, 20, of the Golani Brigade, was killed in ground combat in southern Lebanon on April 8, the Israeli military announced; two other soldiers were hospitalised. The IDF also said Hussein Makled, head of Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters, was killed in overnight Beirut strikes.
- Hezbollah had halted all fire on northern Israel from approximately 1am Wednesday — around the time the US-Iran ceasefire took hold — but a Hezbollah MP warned of a response from Iran and its allies if Israel 'does not adhere to a ceasefire,' while the group's official said it would not accept a return to the pre-March 2 status quo of daily Israeli strikes.
Still Unclear
- AFP, cited by Deccan Chronicle/Times of Israel: Pakistan's Prime Minister Sharif said the US-Iran ceasefire applies 'everywhere including Lebanon.'
Times of Israel liveblog, April 8, 2026: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Lebanon is explicitly excluded from the ceasefire.
- Israel Defense Forces: The IDF said it has killed approximately 1,000 Hezbollah fighters since March 2.
Reuters, cited by Long War Journal: Internal Hezbollah sources told Reuters the group's own count of its fallen fighters stands at around 400.
- IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee: Israel says its strikes target Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure and that it 'does everything possible to limit civilian casualties.'
Human Rights Watch, cited by Al Jazeera: Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of committing 'apparently deliberate or indiscriminate attacks' on civilians in Lebanon.
- (Unverified — single source | not independently corroborated — Israeli military gave no comment and Al Jazeera said it could not verify the claim) Hezbollah claimed to have fired a cruise missile at an Israeli warship 126 km off the Lebanese coast on April 5. [Hezbollah statement, cited by Al Jazeera]
- (Unverified — single source | anonymous source — Israel has not confirmed the intended target, and the IDF later said the killed Lebanese Forces official and his wife were not the intended targets) An April 5 Israeli strike on Ain Saadeh appeared to be a targeted assassination of a specific individual in an apartment, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground. [Al Jazeera correspondent Heidi Pett]
- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as reported by NBC News and CBS News: Pakistan's Prime Minister Sharif said the US-Iran ceasefire deal covered Lebanon 'and elsewhere,' implying Hezbollah operations would be included.
Office of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu; President Donald Trump via PBS News: Netanyahu's office stated the ceasefire 'does not include Lebanon'; Trump separately confirmed Lebanon was excluded 'because of Hezbollah.'
- Israel Defense Forces official statement: The Israeli military said it took 'steps to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals as much as possible' and that strikes targeted Hezbollah command centres embedded in civilian areas.
Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Haneed Sayed, AP; Beirut municipal council member Mohammed Balouza, AP: Lebanon's Minister of Social Affairs Haneed Sayed called the strikes a 'very dangerous turning point,' saying hits were 'at the heart of Beirut' where half of all internally displaced people were sheltering; residents and municipal officials at the Corniche al Mazraa scene denied any military presence.
- (Unverified — state media only | single source | not independently corroborated at time of reporting) Iran has reimposed a full suspension of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israel's Lebanon strikes. [Fars News Agency (IRGC-affiliated Iranian outlet), cited by NBC News]
- (Unverified — single source | not independently corroborated — Israeli military said it was 'not aware' of such an incident) Hezbollah fired a cruise missile at an Israeli warship 126km off the Lebanese coast on April 5. [Hezbollah statement, as reported by Al Jazeera]
Key Figures
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Total killed in Lebanon since March 2, 2026 | At least 1,497 people, including 57 health workers and 126 children | Lebanon Ministry of Public Health, as of April 6, 2026 |
| Total wounded in Lebanon since March 2, 2026 | 4,639 | Lebanon Ministry of Public Health / Al Jazeera |
| Displaced persons in Lebanon | More than 1.2 million (approximately 1 in 5, or 20% of the country's population) | UN data / UNHCR, cited by Al Jazeera |
| Israeli airstrikes and attacks on Lebanon since March 2 | More than 1,840 | ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data), cited by Al Jazeera |
| Hezbollah projectiles fired at Israel since March 2 | Approximately 5,000 | Reuters, cited by Long War Journal |
| Israeli soldiers killed in the renewed Lebanon war | At least 8 | Long War Journal / FDD, April 3, 2026 |
| Israeli evacuation orders — Lebanese territory affected | More than 1,470 sq km (approx. 14% of Lebanon's territory) | Norwegian Refugee Council, cited by Al Jazeera |
| World Bank estimate of damage to residential buildings | $2.8 billion | World Bank, cited by Al Jazeera |
| Killed in April 8 Israeli strikes on Lebanon | At least 254 | Lebanon civil defence service, via Reuters / Al Jazeera |
| Wounded in April 8 Israeli strikes on Lebanon | More than 1,165 | Lebanon Ministry of Public Health, via Al Jazeera |
| Total killed in Lebanon since March 2 Israeli campaign | More than 1,500 (including 130 children) | Lebanon Ministry of Public Health, cited by Al Jazeera and NBC News |
| People displaced in Lebanon since March 2 | More than 1.2 million (one-fifth of Lebanon's 5.9 million population) | Lebanese authorities / ACLED, via Al Jazeera |
| Israeli strikes on Lebanon since March 2 (total) | More than 1,840 | Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), via Al Jazeera |
| Targets struck in April 8 coordinated wave | 100+ sites within 10 minutes | IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani / Israeli military statement |
| Israeli soldier killed in southern Lebanon ground combat, April 8 | 1 (Staff Sgt. Touvel Yosef Lifshiz, 20, Golani Brigade) | Israel Defense Forces, via Haaretz |
| Israeli territory under evacuation orders in Lebanon (Norwegian Refugee Council estimate) | More than 1,470 sq km (14% of Lebanon's territory) | Norwegian Refugee Council, via Al Jazeera |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lebanon included in the US-Iran ceasefire?
Israel says no. Prime Minister Netanyahu explicitly declared Lebanon excluded from the deal. France, Pakistan, and Egypt — all involved in mediation — insist Lebanon must be covered. Lebanon's army warned civilians against returning south as Israeli strikes continued on April 8, and Hezbollah told civilians to await a separate Lebanon ceasefire announcement.
How many people have been killed and displaced in Lebanon since the war started?
Lebanon's Health Ministry reported at least 1,497 killed and 4,639 wounded since March 2, including 126 children and 57 health workers. More than 1.2 million people — roughly one in five Lebanese — have been displaced, according to UN data cited by Al Jazeera, making it one of the fastest-growing displacement crises in recent years.
What are Israel's stated goals in southern Lebanon?
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced plans to permanently occupy a 'security zone' up to the Litani River and destroy border towns, comparing the campaign to Gaza. The IDF initially cited Hezbollah's full disarmament as its objective but on April 3 acknowledged that goal was unrealistic militarily, signaling a shift toward a prolonged war of attrition, per the Long War Journal.
Why is Israel still attacking Lebanon if there is a ceasefire with Iran?
Israeli PM Netanyahu explicitly stated the US-Iran two-week ceasefire does not cover Lebanon, and President Trump confirmed this to PBS News, saying Lebanon was excluded 'because of Hezbollah.' Israel considers its campaign against Hezbollah a separate conflict, even though Hezbollah entered the war as Iran's proxy and has now halted fire since the ceasefire took effect.
How many people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel's new offensive began?
More than 1,500 people, including 130 children, had been killed before April 8, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health. The April 8 strikes alone killed at least 254 more and wounded over 1,165, according to Lebanon's civil defence service via Reuters.
Could Israel's Lebanon strikes collapse the US-Iran ceasefire?
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US must choose between the ceasefire and 'continued war via Israel — it cannot have both.' An IRGC-affiliated news outlet reported Iran was resuspending Hormuz tanker traffic in response. If confirmed, that would directly threaten global oil flows and the fragile US-Iran deal announced just hours earlier.
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