Israel pounds Beirut as Lebanon death toll hits 254 despite Iran ceasefire

Iran threatens to quit truce as Israeli air raids flatten buildings in central Beirut

Emergency personnel work at the site of an Israeli strike, in Beirut, Lebanon, Apr 8, 2026. REUTERS

Even as a ceasefire between Israel and the United States paused direct hostilities with Iran, the region remained on a knife-edge as Israel launched its heaviest air strikes yet on Lebanon.

Huge columns of smoke rose above the Lebanese capital Beirut as residential blocks crumpled under the force of the bombardment.

Lebanon’s civil defence service reported that 254 people were killed across the country on Wednesday alone, with 91 deaths in Beirut, Reuters report.

Residents said many strikes arrived without the typical evacuation warnings from the Israeli military.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire did not include Hezbollah and that Israel would "continue to strike them".

Netanyahu stressed that while some objectives in the war with Iran had been met, others remained.

He warned that Israel's "finger is on the trigger", and the military is prepared to resume the full campaign against Iran if diplomatic goals are not achieved.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed source, warned that Tehran would withdraw from the ceasefire agreement if the "aggression" against Lebanon continues.