Rubble at the site of Israeli air strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs. AFP
Rubble at the site of Israeli air strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs. AFP
Rubble at the site of Israeli air strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs. AFP
Rubble at the site of Israeli air strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs. AFP

Israeli strikes kill at least 15 as Lebanon observes national day of mourning


Jamie Prentis
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At least 15 people were killed in Israeli air strikes on south Lebanon on Thursday, the second day of a US-Iran ceasefire that Tehran says includes a halt on attacks on Lebanon.

The bombings in Zrariye, near the city of Sidon, and Abbasiyeh, close to Tyre, came as Lebanon observed a national day of mourning for more than 200 people killed in a wave of Israeli strikes across the country on Wednesday evening.

Israel and the US reject Tehran's claim that Lebanon is included in the two-week ceasefire that halted their attacks on Iran.

Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said 203 people were killed in Wednesday's strikes – a lower toll than the 254 dead reported earlier by the civil defence.

More than 1,100 people were wounded, Dr Nasseredine said before a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

The civil defence said more than 90 people were killed in Beirut alone, and the toll is expected to rise as rescue teams continue to search through rubble.

Wednesday was the deadliest day for Lebanon since Israel intensified its attacks on March 2, when the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah began launching rockets at Israel.

Israel said it ​killed Hezbollah leader Naim ​Qassem's nephew and personal secretary, ⁠Ali Yusuf Harshi, in another strike overnight.

“The scale of the killing and destruction in Lebanon today is nothing short of horrific,” UN human rights chief Volker Turk said after Wednesday's attacks. “Such carnage, within hours of agreeing to a ceasefire with Iran, defies belief.”

Israel said it attacked 100 Hezbollah “command centres and military sites” in the space of 10 minutes. It provided no evidence of a Hezbollah connection to any of the sites.

Updated: April 09, 2026, 9:46 AM