Hundreds feared dead in Lebanon strikes
New York, US (PANA) - The United Nations has strongly condemned airstrikes by the Israeli military across Lebanon on Wednesday which have resulted in significant casualties and destruction.
The attacks came within hours of the ceasefire announced between the United States and Iran following weeks of deadly hostilities that have disrupted lives, global trade and humanitarian operations in the Middle East and beyond.
“Today’s wave of IDF strikes came just as hopes for an end to violence and destruction were rising,” the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert tweeted.
“This cannot go on. Neither side can shoot or strike their way to victory.”
Israeli forces reported carrying out over 100 airstrikes in roughly 10 minutes, the top UN aid official in Lebanon, Imran Riza, said in a briefing to journalists in New York.
He described the scale of bombardment as “dramatic”, saying “it’s been enormous, the level of these strikes”.
Although casualty figures were not yet available, he said it was believed that hundreds may have been killed and many others injured.
“The hospitals are overwhelmed, and of course, there’s a huge, huge call out for blood donations throughout the country,” he added.
Another senior UN official, Blerta Aliko, was speaking to UN News during a pre-arranged interview when shelling intensified in Beirut. She and other staff from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) left their offices and took shelter in the basement. When the interview resumed, the situation had “become extremely critical”.
“I personally heard the sound of nine strikes. There have been over 40 strikes in Beirut, and hundreds more across the country,” said Ms. Aliko, UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon.
“As of this moment, the Director General of the Red Cross has confirmed more than 300 casualties.”
The assault occurred amid renewed fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, which is taking place within the wider conflict between Israel and the United States against Iran that has also impacted several Gulf States.
Mr. Riza said that since the start of the escalation when Hezbollah launched strikes into Israel on 2 March, more than 1,500 people in Lebanon have been killed, including 130 children, according to the health ministry.
Displacement has also reached “an unprecedented scale”. Some 1.2 million people, or nearly a fifth of the population, have been uprooted. This exceeds the scale of displacement following hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that erupted in 2024.
“A lot of the strikes that happened today did not have displacement orders, did not have warning orders,” he said.
-0- PANA MA 9April2026
