Israel kills 254 in Lebanon hours after US-Iran ceasefire declared
Confidence: HIGH (91/100) | April 09, 2026 |
aljazeera.com
In one sentence: Israel struck over 100 targets across Lebanon on April 8, killing at least 254 people hours after a US-Iran ceasefire was announced — a deal Israel says does not cover Hezbollah.
Why it matters: Israel's decision to escalate in Lebanon immediately after the US-Iran truce is signed fractures the ceasefire's coherence and risks pulling Iran back into open war: Tehran's IRGC has threatened to retaliate if the Lebanon assault continues. The dispute over whether Lebanon is inside or outside the truce — with Pakistan saying yes, Netanyahu and Trump saying no — creates a direct collision between Israel's military campaign and the fragile diplomatic architecture the US just built. With Islamabad talks scheduled for April 10, the Lebanon question could collapse negotiations before they begin.
What Happened Today
- Israel launched what it called 'Operation Eternal Darkness' on April 8, hitting more than 100 targets across Lebanon — including central Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, Sidon, and Tyre — killing at least 254 people and wounding 1,165, Lebanon's Civil Defence said. The Israeli Air Force deployed approximately 50 fighter jets and about 160 munitions, making it Israel's largest coordinated strike since it relaunched operations on March 2.
- The bombardment began hours after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a US-Iran two-week ceasefire, brokered by Islamabad, which Pakistan explicitly said included Lebanon. Israeli PM Netanyahu immediately declared the ceasefire excluded Lebanon and promised continued strikes on Hezbollah, a position US President Trump backed, saying Lebanon was 'separate.'
- The IRGC issued a formal warning that it would 'fulfil our duty and deliver a response' if Israel does not cease attacks on Lebanon immediately, and Iranian state media reported Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response — a claim the White House called 'completely unacceptable.' The ceasefire's key condition was Iran keeping the strait open.
- Multiple strikes hit civilian-dense areas without prior warning. AP journalists reported charred bodies at one of Beirut's busiest intersections. An Israeli airstrike struck a funeral in the Bekaa Valley village of Shmestar, killing at least ten mourners. Doctors Without Borders reported its staff were injured and Hiram Hospital in Tyre was extensively damaged.
- The UN strongly condemned the strikes, with UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk saying the scale of killing 'defies belief,' and UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq calling on all sides to use the ceasefire as an opportunity to halt hostilities. Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri called the attacks a 'full-fledged war crime.'
Contested Claims
- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (via Al Jazeera and NBC News): Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, who brokered the US-Iran ceasefire, stated that Lebanon was included in the truce agreement. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu; US President Donald Trump (via Al Jazeera and NBC News): Israeli PM Netanyahu said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, and the Israeli military announced it would continue striking Hezbollah. US President Trump also said Lebanon is 'separate' from the deal.
- Iranian state media (as cited by Wikipedia and Fox News): Iranian state media reported Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (Fox News live updates): The White House called reports of an Iranian Hormuz closure 'completely unacceptable' and said Iran's public statements differed from its private commitments under the ceasefire.
- Iranian state media; Iran's embassy in India (via CNN and Euronews): Iran's 10-point peace proposal, published in Persian by Iranian state media, included Iran's right to nuclear enrichment. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (Times of Israel liveblog): The White House said the 10-point plan published by Iranian state media was not the proposal Iran actually sent to the US, calling an earlier Iranian version 'fundamentally unserious' and discarded by Trump.
Unverified / Single Source
- (Unverified — state media only — the White House denied it; independent confirmation of a full closure is not available) Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. [Iranian state media]
- (Unverified — single source; not independently corroborated by wire services in available results) Hezbollah announced it halted attacks on Israel and Israeli soldiers in Lebanon following the April 8 bombardment. [Wikipedia (citing Hezbollah statement)]
Key Figures
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lebanese killed in April 8 Israeli strikes | At least 254 | Lebanon's Civil Defence (via Al Jazeera and AP) |
| Lebanese wounded in April 8 Israeli strikes | 1,165 | Lebanon's Civil Defence (via Al Jazeera) |
| Israeli targets struck in Lebanon on April 8 | More than 100 in approximately 10 minutes | Israeli military statement (via Al Jazeera and NBC News) |
| Total killed in Lebanon since March 2 Israeli offensive | More than 1,497 | Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health (via Al Jazeera) |
| People displaced in Lebanon since March 2 | Over 1.2 million (approximately 1 in 5 Lebanese) | UN data and Lebanese authorities (via Al Jazeera) |
| US oil price drop on ceasefire announcement | Fell as much as 19% intraday to $91.03/barrel — largest single-day decline since April 2020 | CNN live updates |
| Dow Jones surge on ceasefire news | +1,325 points (+2.8%) to 47,909.92 | Fox News live updates |
| Duration of US-Iran war before ceasefire | Approximately 40 days (since February 28, 2026) | Al Jazeera and NBC News |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Israel strike Lebanon right after the US-Iran ceasefire? Israel declared the US-Iran ceasefire does not cover Lebanon or Hezbollah. Netanyahu said Israel would 'continue to strike' Hezbollah, treating the Iran truce as separate from its own campaign. The US backed this position, though Pakistan — which brokered the deal — said Lebanon was included, creating a direct contradiction between the parties.
How many people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel's offensive began? Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reports more than 1,497 killed and over 4,600 wounded since Israel relaunched its offensive on March 2, 2026. The April 8 strikes alone killed at least 254 and wounded 1,165. Over 1.2 million people — roughly one in five Lebanese — have been displaced.
Is the US-Iran ceasefire at risk of collapsing over Lebanon? Yes. Iran's IRGC threatened to respond militarily if Israel does not stop attacking Lebanon, and Iranian state media reported Hormuz was closed — a direct breach of the ceasefire's central condition. The White House called such a closure unacceptable. US-Iran peace talks are scheduled for Islamabad on April 10, but the Lebanon dispute threatens to derail them before they start.
Background
Israel relaunched its military campaign against Lebanon on March 2, 2026, after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel — which Hezbollah said was retaliation for the US-Israeli assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. That assassination triggered a broader US-Israel war on Iran lasting approximately 40 days, which ended in a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan on April 7–8, 2026. Israel and Hezbollah have been in near-continuous conflict since October 2023, with a nominal ceasefire from November 2024 that Israel violated over 10,000 times according to UN records before the new offensive began.
Sources
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- npr.org — npr.org (unknown date)
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