Lebanon thought there was a ceasefire – then Israel unleashed deadly blitz

Lebanon Thought There Was a Ceasefire – Then Israel Unleashed Deadly Blitz

Amid hopes for a calm, Israeli airstrikes shattered the fragile peace. Just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump declared a two-week ceasefire to halt Middle Eastern hostilities, the skies over Lebanon turned violent. The attack, lasting ten minutes, left at least 203 dead and over 1,000 injured, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The sudden violence sparked immediate backlash, yet the U.S. remained silent on its ally’s actions.

A Ceasefire Agreed, Yet Not Enforced

Iran condemned the strike as a “grave violation” of the ceasefire, urging the U.S. to stop Israeli “aggression.” Meanwhile, Lebanon’s officials noted that more than 1,700 people have died since Israel’s recent campaign began. The U.S. justified the strikes as targeting Hezbollah, with Trump emphasizing that Lebanon was excluded from the deal “because of Hezbollah.” He framed the conflict as “a separate skirmish.”

“The ceasefire was agreed to halt the war everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere.”

The war’s roots trace back to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, which triggered retaliation against Gulf allies and attacks by Iran’s proxies—Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen—on Israel. In response, Israel intensified operations against Hezbollah and occupied key areas in Lebanon. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, acting as mediator, announced the two-week pause, citing U.S. and allied agreement.

Israel’s Aerial Assault and Its Aftermath

At approximately 14:00 in Beirut (11:00 GMT), Israeli jets launched a concentrated attack, targeting 100+ Hezbollah bases, military sites, and command centers in Beirut, Bekaa, and southern Lebanon. The IDF described it as the “largest coordinated strike since Operation Roaring Lion began.” The city center, alongside Hezbollah’s traditional stronghold in Dahiyeh, faced heavy bombardment, with search teams still recovering bodies in areas like Tallet el Khayat.

Despite the scale of the assault, Hezbollah’s response was delayed, with rockets fired toward Israel hours later. On Thursday, Israeli forces claimed to have killed “70+ terrorists,” including Ali Yusuf Harshi, the secretary to Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem. However, the BBC has not confirmed these claims.

A City in Grief

Beirut’s atmosphere is heavy with sorrow on a sunny morning. Streets usually teeming with activity are now quiet as the nation mourns. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated that civilians were among the victims, calling the toll “martyrs and wounded.” President Joseph Aoun labeled it a “massacre,” highlighting the devastation. Civil defense teams, exhausted after six weeks of relentless Israeli attacks, work tirelessly to uncover the dead, though hope is fading for families still missing loved ones.

“This is new to Beirut,” said Ziad Samir Itani, leading the civil defense effort. The city’s resilience is tested, with recovery operations ongoing in multiple regions. The attack in Tallet el Khayat, a wealthy Beirut neighborhood, left a 10-story building in ruins, underscoring the unpreparedness of the area for such devastation.

Pakistan is set to host negotiations on Friday, with the U.S. 15-point plan and Iran’s 10-point counter-proposals forming the basis of talks. Yet, the recent Israeli action has cast doubt on the ceasefire’s effectiveness, especially as Hezbollah’s position remains under threat.