Beirut, Lebanon — Hopes for a pause in the escalating Middle East conflict were abruptly dashed as Israeli forces launched a devastating wave of airstrikes across Lebanon just hours after a ceasefire was announced.
The truce, declared by US President Donald Trump as a two-week halt in hostilities, had briefly raised expectations of relief across the region. However, those hopes were short-lived. In a sudden and intense assault, Israeli jets carried out a 10-minute blitz targeting multiple locations across Lebanon, killing at least 203 people and injuring more than 1,000, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
The Israeli military said the operation was its largest coordinated strike in Lebanon since the start of its campaign, targeting over 100 Hezbollah positions, including headquarters and command centres in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern regions.
Despite the scale of destruction, US officials did not condemn the strikes. Both Washington and Tel Aviv maintained that the ceasefire agreement did not extend to Lebanon, describing the conflict with Hezbollah as a “separate” front.
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Iran, a key ally of Hezbollah, denounced the attack as a “grave violation” and urged the United States to rein in Israel. Lebanese leaders were equally forceful in their response, with officials describing the strikes as a “massacre” and declaring a day of national mourning.
Scenes from Beirut painted a grim picture. Entire residential buildings were reduced to rubble, including in areas not previously targeted. Emergency responders, already stretched after weeks of conflict, continued search-and-rescue operations with dwindling امید of finding survivors.
“This is something new to Beirut,” said one civil defence official, reflecting the shock among residents as densely populated neighbourhoods came under fire.
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The broader conflict traces back to late February, when US and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory actions from Tehran and its regional allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi forces in Yemen.
Israel has said its objective is to weaken Hezbollah and eliminate remaining military threats. However, analysts and even some Israeli officials acknowledge that dismantling the group through military force alone may be unrealistic.
As diplomatic efforts continue — with Pakistan mediating talks and hosting negotiations between the parties — the latest escalation underscores the fragility of ceasefire agreements in a conflict involving multiple actors and overlapping battlefronts.
For now, the people of Lebanon are left grappling with the aftermath of a strike that came at a moment when peace seemed, briefly, within reach.
