Israeli assault claims 701 lives in Lebanon in 4 days: Health Ministry

BEIRUT

An unprecedented Israeli offensive has resulted in the deaths of at least 701 individuals and injured 2,173 others in Lebanon from Monday to Thursday, bringing the cumulative death toll since the beginning of the conflict with Hezbollah last October to 1,540 fatalities and 5,410 injuries, according to Lebanese Health Ministry data.

The ministry said 558 people were killed and 1,835 others injured on Monday and Tuesday alone.

As many as 51 deaths and 223 injuries were recorded on Wednesday, with Thursday seeing another 92 deaths and 153 injuries.

The ongoing aggression has also displaced approximately 77,100 people, according to the government's Disaster Risk Management Unit.

It said that over the past two days, 15,600 Syrian citizens and 16,130 Lebanese citizens crossed into Syria.

Since Monday, the Israeli army has launched what has been described as the “most intense and widespread” attack on Lebanon since hostilities with Hezbollah, sparked by the war in Gaza, began nearly a year ago.

Hezbollah has also fired hundreds of rockets at military positions, settlements, and the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv.

There is said to be a media blackout in Israel, with restrictions on reporting of human losses and damage caused by Hezbollah's attacks.

Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, various Lebanese and Palestinian factions, especially Hezbollah, have engaged in daily shelling across the Blue Line with the Israeli forces, resulting in casualties and displacement.

These factions are demanding an end to the ongoing war led by Israel on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 41,500 people, mostly women and children.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi