783 dead, over 2,300 injured in five days of Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes have killed 783 people and injured 2,312 in Lebanon since Monday, Sept. 23, according to official Lebanese sources.

This latest assault marks Israel’s most intense and extensive offensive on Lebanon since confrontations with Hezbollah began last October.

1,622 killed in Lebanon, with over 5,500 injured

Over the last five days, Israeli strikes have resulted in 558 deaths and 1,835 injuries from Monday to Tuesday alone.

On Wednesday, an additional 51 people were killed, with 223 more injured.

Thursday saw 92 deaths and 153 injuries, while between Friday and Saturday morning, airstrikes claimed another 82 lives and left 101 people injured.

In total, since the beginning of the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah last year, 1,622 people have been killed in Lebanon, with over 5,500 injured. The recent escalation has also displaced 98,800 people, according to Lebanon’s Disaster Risk Management Unit.

Escalating cross-border conflict

The Israeli bombardment has triggered a response from Hezbollah, which has launched hundreds of rockets targeting Israeli military sites, settlements and the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv. Israeli sources have imposed a strict blackout on reporting casualties and damage from these strikes.

On Saturday, the Israeli army announced that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed during a targeted operation on Hezbollah’s central command located beneath a residential building in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Hezbollah confirmed the report.

Widening regional concerns

The cross-border warfare between Hezbollah and Israel erupted following Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which began after a Hamas-led cross-border attack on October 7 last year.

The conflict in Gaza has claimed nearly 41,600 lives, primarily women and children.