Beirut/ Tehran: Israeli forces killed at least 254 people across Lebanon on Thursday in the country’s most devastating day of conflict yet, even as the United States and Iran announced a two‑week ceasefire aimed at de‑escalating the wider Middle East crisis.
The airstrikes slammed multiple locations, including Beirut and the south, in what Lebanese officials described as a “massacre,” with more than 1,100 others reported injured and hospitals struggling to cope.
“There is a massacre underway,” a senior Lebanese government official told reporters.
Health ministry and the Lebanese Civil Defence described chaos in emergency wards and field hospitals.
Israeli military spokespeople said they had struck around 100 Hezbollah‑linked sites, asserting that Lebanon was not included in the US–Iran truce because of the group’s role in hostilities.
Iranian officials quickly rejected that interpretation. “The United States and Israel have reneged on agreed terms by claiming that Lebanon was not included in the truce deal,” an Iranian foreign ministry statement said.
Tehran put forward a 10‑point proposal to broaden the ceasefire’s scope, only for the White House to dismiss it less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump had publicly described the same framework as “a workable basis on which to negotiate.”
The discord over the status of Lebanon has cast fresh doubt on the durability of the two‑week pause.
Regional analysts warned that the battle‑front here could unravel the brittle diplomatic gains, especially as Hezbollah‑linked sources said the group had already paused its cross‑border attacks in line with the initial ceasefire understanding.
In Gaza, the toll on media workers has increased. Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Wishah in a drone strike, the network confirmed. The Qatari‑backed broadcaster issued a statement calling his death “a deliberate and targeted crime,” adding that it held the Israeli army “fully responsible for his killing.”
Meanwhile, in the Persian Gulf, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced approved transit routes for commercial shipping to avoid recently laid sea mines, even as it pledged to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as part of the ceasefire arrangement. The IRGC advised ships to follow the designated corridors and coordinate with its forces, noting that parts of the strait remain hazardous and should be crossed with caution.
