Israel Strikes Lebanon Killing Hundreds; Puts Ceasefire at Risk

April 9, 2026 - The ceasefire in the Middle East appears to be fragile and under much strain after Israel carried out a barrage of deadly attacks on Lebanon on Wednesday (April 8) killing hundreds in one single day. Reports say at least 254 people were killed in the strikes and more than 1,100 wounded. Israel has said it bombed Lebanon 100 times in 10 minutes.

Again today, Thursday (April 9), Israel carried out a fresh wave of attacks on the town of Abbassiyeh killing at least seven people and wounding several others. The death toll is expected to further rise.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) also claimed to have killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, the nephew and personal secretary to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem in Beirut.

The frenzied and unannounced Israeli strikes on Lebanon has threatened to put the two-week ceasefire deal between Iran and the US at risk of breaking. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is not bound by the ceasefire and that the deal did not involve Lebanon.

Israel has come under heavy fire from around the world for the brutal attacks which have sparked outrage all over. European countries have condemned the attacks and have called on Israel to refrain from it while also urging Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. European Union’s policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote in a post on X, “Israeli actions are putting the U.S.-Iran ceasefire under severe strain. The Iran truce should extend to Lebanon.”

Iran has reacted sharply to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and said it will not honour the ceasefire agreement if they continued. The country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he spoke on a call with Pakistani army chief General Asim Munir and discussed the Israeli “violations of the ceasefire in Iran and Lebanon”.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has warned of stronger retaliation if Iran did not fully comply with the “real agreement” and said that all US ships, aircraft and military personnel would continue to remain in place.

In another development, a Reuters report quote Iran’s atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami as saying that “the enemy won’t succeed in restricting Iran’s enrichment programme”. This is contrary to what Trump had said on Wednesday that there will be “no enrichment of uranium” in Iran as part of the deal made by the US and the Islamic Republic.

With Media Inputs

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