Lebanon marked a national day of mourning as rescue teams, both local and international, continued searching through Beirut’s rubble. Heavy machinery removed debris while a thin haze hung over the worst-hit neighborhoods. Many survivors were left unsure where they would sleep or what comes next, saying they did not know where to stay or how to rebuild their lives.
Lebanese health authorities reported that simultaneous Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 303 people and wounded 1,150. Doctors Without Borders said Rafik Hariri Public Hospital in Beirut saw a surge of casualties, including many children.
The strikes have sharpened disagreement over the scope of a recent Iran–US ceasefire: Tehran argues the deal covers Lebanon, while the United States and Israel maintain it does not. The clashes are the latest episode in a broader Lebanon conflict that intensified in early March when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel amid rising tensions linked to Iran. Lebanese officials say Israeli airstrikes and a limited ground invasion since then have killed about 1,888 people and forced roughly 1.2 million people to flee their homes.
Hezbollah, backed by Iran and designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Germany and others, has fired rockets into northern Israel and struck Israeli forces, accusing Israel of breaching the ceasefire terms.
Humanitarian emergency
The violence compounds Lebanon’s deep political and economic crises that have persisted since 2019, the catastrophic Beirut port blast in August 2020, and renewed fighting in 2024. Evacuation orders issued Thursday prompted fresh waves of panic and displacement, aid workers said. Many families are sleeping in cars, parking garages and public spaces around Beirut; others have pitched tents along the downtown waterfront despite cold nights and limited possessions.
UN and humanitarian officials describe the situation as a layered crisis. Some international aid workers reported being forced to relocate to makeshift shelters because of airstrikes. Anger and despair run high among civilians who say they are bearing the brunt of repeated attacks; many question why they have lost homes and livelihoods and call for accountability.
Aid access is increasingly fragile. In southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes have damaged critical infrastructure, including major bridges over the Litani River in the Tyre region. Human Rights Watch investigators said residents warned that food supplies could run out within about a week if the last main bridge, Qasmieh Bridge, were destroyed. Ongoing damage to roads and supply lines risks cutting communities off from aid, medical care and basic necessities.
Israeli objectives and Lebanese resistance
Israel has said it plans to create a buffer zone in part of southern Lebanon, a region traditionally seen as a Hezbollah stronghold that makes up roughly 10% of the country. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said hundreds of thousands of displaced residents would not be allowed to return south of the Litani River until Israel felt northern communities were secure. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich suggested the Litani could become Israel’s new border with Lebanon.
A central Israeli demand remains the disarmament of Hezbollah, a condition echoed in a November 2024 ceasefire framework. Israel argues Hezbollah’s arsenal poses a persistent threat; Hezbollah rejects disarmament demands, saying its weapons are necessary to defend Lebanon against Israeli attacks and occupation of positions along the border.
Diplomacy amid fragile prospects
In an unusual step given the absence of formal diplomatic relations and a long-standing state of hostility, Lebanese and Israeli governments confirmed plans for direct talks in Washington next week. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said a ceasefire is the only viable way out of Lebanon’s current catastrophe. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said discussions will focus on disarming Hezbollah and pursuing a lasting peace arrangement between the two countries.
Hezbollah opposes direct negotiations, and analysts warn Lebanon lacks the capacity to forcibly disarm the group. A senior Lebanon analyst at the International Crisis Group said the core dispute remains unresolved: Israel refuses to tolerate an armed Hezbollah on its northern border, while Hezbollah opposes expanding Israeli control of Lebanese territory. Even if external actors can broker a ceasefire, Lebanon may remain dangerously close to renewed, ruinous conflict without a durable political settlement.
The situation on the ground remains volatile, with humanitarian needs growing by the day and the political future uncertain as Lebanon copes with displacement, damaged infrastructure and the fallout of sustained violence.