Lebanon death toll from Israeli attacks rises to 72

By Stephanie Rady

BEIRUT, Lebanon / ISTANBUL (AA) – At least 72 people were killed and 437 others injured in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since Monday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Wednesday.

The Israeli army pounded several areas in Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburbs, following a rocket fire by Hezbollah amid regional escalation in the wake of US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Beirut’s Disaster Risk Management Unit said that it recorded 403 “hostile acts” against Lebanon since early Monday.

The Israeli army also issued several evacuation orders for Lebanese residents as it expanded its attacks across the country.

Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said that 83,847 displaced people have been registered in shelters due to Israeli evacuation warnings, noting that the number of shelter centers has reached 399 across Lebanon.

Israel has repeatedly violated a cease-fire agreement with Hezbollah, signed in November 2024, carrying out near-daily strikes that have left hundreds dead and wounded.

Israel began its offensive against Lebanon in October 2023 and escalated it into a full-scale war in September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and wounding about 17,000.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul