Death Toll Rises to 45 after Israeli Airstrike in Beirut
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed on Sunday that the death toll from an Israeli airstrike targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs has climbed to 45, with rescue operations still underway.
The Lebanese health ministry announced the updated death toll from the Friday airstrike in Beirut's Dahiya district, raising the number of dead to 45. The previous count stood at 37, with search and rescue teams continuing to clear the rubble for the third consecutive day.
DNA testing is being used to help identify some of the victims, the ministry said. Health Minister Firass Abiad confirmed that over 60 people were injured in the attack, and three children, aged four, six, and ten, were among the dead.
Rescue workers are still searching for 17 people trapped under the debris. "The rescue operation could continue for another day or so," Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari reported from Beirut. She noted that fear and shock gripped the area, with many residents choosing to leave.
Lebanon's Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh labeled the attack on a residential building as a “war crime,” saying Israel is provoking conflict. Israel’s military stated the strike was aimed at senior Hezbollah figures from the elite Radwan Forces.
Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi called the incident a turning point for Lebanon, stressing that the country must take action to prevent further territorial violations and avoid a worsening security situation.
Tensions further escalated late on Saturday when Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at Israel's Ramat David airbase in response to civilian casualties. Rocket sirens were triggered across northern Israeli occupied territories.
The Israeli military responded with extensive airstrikes on southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah retaliated with further rocket fire. These crossborder exchanges have been ongoing since October, intensifying since August.
Lebanon's National News Agency reported a large-scale Israeli air attack on southern Lebanon Saturday evening, with around 90 rockets fired from Lebanon and Israeli forces striking over 400 rocket launchers.
The escalation represents the most intense exchange since October 8 last year, according to Al Jazeera's Jabbari.
The Israeli attacks raise concerns over international law violations. Ibrahim Fraihat, a conflict resolution professor at the Doha Institute, warned that the situation in Lebanon demonstrates a new disregard for international humanitarian law, which is being “normalized by the silence of the West."
Fraihat cautioned that the focus on Lebanon could detract from the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza, enabling further human rights abuses there.
