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Ceasefire shattered within hours of announcement
Israeli warplanes launched a devastating 10-minute assault on Lebanon on Wednesday, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump declared a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East conflict. The strikes killed at least 203 people and injured over 1,000, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
Timeline of escalation
The war erupted on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel conducted strikes on Iran, triggering retaliatory attacks by Tehran and its allies-Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen-against Israel. Israel responded by targeting Hezbollah positions and later deploying troops to occupy parts of Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, mediating between the parties, announced a ceasefire agreement involving the U.S. and its allies. However, Israel and the U.S. later clarified that Lebanon was excluded from the truce due to Hezbollah's involvement.
Massive aerial assault
The Israeli military described the operation as the largest coordinated strike in Lebanon since the start of its campaign, codenamed Operation Roaring Lion. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have hit over 100 Hezbollah targets, including headquarters, military sites, and command centers in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon.
Witnesses in Beirut reported some of the heaviest bombardment since Hezbollah joined the conflict in early March. Strikes targeted not only Hezbollah strongholds like Dahieh but also central Beirut, including residential areas. Casualties were reported across the country, from the Bekaa Valley to southern cities like Nabatieh, Sidon, and Tyre.
Aftermath and casualties
Lebanese officials declared a national day of mourning, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam calling the victims "martyrs" and President Joseph Aoun labeling the attacks a "massacre." Search and rescue teams worked through the night, though hopes of finding survivors dwindled. In Tallet el Khayat, a residential neighborhood in western Beirut, a 10-story building was reduced to rubble in an airstrike without warning.
Ziad Samir Itani, a civil defense team leader, described the scene as unprecedented. "I have 22 years of experience, and this is not normal," he said. "I'm sad, like everybody."
International reactions
Condemnation of the strikes was swift from local and Western officials, though the U.S. refrained from criticizing Israel. Iran called the attack a "grave violation" of the ceasefire and urged the U.S. to intervene. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told the BBC the U.S. must decide between "war or peace" and linked the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz-a critical oil transit route-to an end to Israeli aggression.
Hezbollah responded hours later with rocket fire toward Israel. On Thursday, the IDF claimed to have killed over 70 "terrorists" and eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, a senior aide to Hezbollah's Secretary-General Naim Qassem. The BBC could not independently verify these claims.
Strategic implications
Analysts question Israel's long-term strategy, noting that even its military acknowledges Hezbollah cannot be disarmed by force. While the strikes may yield limited tactical gains, they have united Lebanese across political divides in anger over civilian casualties.
Negotiations are set to resume in Pakistan on Friday, with a U.S.-backed 15-point plan and Iran's 10-point counterproposal on the table. Iran's proposal demands a full cessation of hostilities, including against "the resistance of Lebanon."
