Israel Drops 160 Bombs on Lebanon in 10 Minutes Amid Iran Ceasefire

Israel launched what its military described as its largest coordinated attack on Lebanon since the offensive began on March 2, 2025, dropping 160 bombs in 10 minutes across Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon on April 8, 2026. The Israel Defense Forces stated that 50 fighter jets struck more than 100 Hezbollah command centers and military positions simultaneously, in an operation named "Eternal Darkness." The strikes hit intelligence centers, naval infrastructure, missile launching sites, and assets of the Radwan Force and air unit 127. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries, with hospitals in Beirut overwhelmed and rescue teams working to extract survivors from rubble. The attack came on the same day a two-week ceasefire between the United States, Israel, and Iran — mediated by Pakistan — entered into force, a coincidence that drew immediate international condemnation.

Netanyahu insists Lebanon falls outside Iran truce Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated in the early hours of April 8 that "the two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon," directly contradicting Pakistan's position that the agreement extended to the Lebanese front. Hezbollah began its attacks on Israel on March 2, three days after the US-Israel strikes against Iran commenced, according to reporting in El Confidencial. Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir confirmed the military's intent to press on, stating the IDF would "continue to attack the terrorist organization Hezbollah and take advantage of every operational opportunity." Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz went further, publicly threatening to kill Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem and describing Wednesday's strikes as the largest "concentrated blow" against the group since the mass pager explosion attack in September 2024. The IDF statement acknowledged that "the bulk of the infrastructure attacked was located in the heart of civilian areas," while asserting that measures were taken to limit harm to uninvolved persons. Hezbollah, for its part, suspended its attacks against northern Israel and Israeli troops in Lebanon on Wednesday, in what sources close to the organization described to Reuters as an attempt to be included in the ceasefire. „We will not jeopardize the security of the residents of northern Israel. We will continue attacking with determination.” — Eyal Zamir via El Mundo

160 (bombs) — dropped in 10 minutes across Lebanon on April 8

Key events — Israel-Lebanon offensive: — ; — ; — ; —

Lebanese leaders condemn strikes on civilian neighborhoods Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam wrote on X that while the Iran-US agreement was being celebrated, Israel "continues to expand its attacks, targeting densely populated residential neighborhoods," causing the deaths of "innocent civilians throughout Lebanon, especially in the capital, Beirut." Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned that the "massacre" caused by the Israeli attacks "flagrantly defies human values" and "ignores all efforts aimed at de-escalation and stability" in the Middle East. The Beirut Medical Association issued an emergency call to all doctors to report to hospitals given the scale of casualties, while the Ministry of Health asked citizens to clear traffic routes to allow ambulances to pass. Lebanese government officials stressed that Beirut had not received guarantees of inclusion in the ceasefire and had not participated in the negotiations, with official sources emphasizing that "the Lebanese authorities are the only ones legitimized to negotiate on behalf of the State." According to figures cited in multiple source articles, more than 1,500 people have died in Lebanese territory and another 4,800 have been injured since the Israeli offensive began. The UN described the humanitarian situation in Lebanon as the worst crisis in more than two decades, according to eldiario.es. European governments, including Spain, called for Lebanon to be included in any ceasefire, with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares stating that "Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire reached today in the Middle East." „While the agreement between Iran and the United States is being celebrated, Israel continues to expand its attacks, targeting densely populated residential neighborhoods.” — Nawaf Salam via El País

Israeli opposition calls Iran deal a "historical disaster" for Netanyahu Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who heads the Yesh Atid party, declared on social media that there had "never been a greater political disaster in our entire history," arguing that Israel "was not even at the table when key decisions for our national security were made." Lapid accused Netanyahu of having "failed strategically" by not fulfilling "any of the goals he himself had set" for the war against Iran. Yair Golan, leader of the social democratic coalition The Democrats, stated on X that Netanyahu "lied," having promised a "historical victory and security for generations" while delivering "one of the most serious strategic failures Israel has ever known." Golan listed specific unmet objectives: Iran's nuclear program was not destroyed, its ballistic missile capability remains intact, and the regime, in his assessment, emerged from the conflict in a stronger position. From the nationalist right, Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu warned that the ceasefire "gives the ayatollahs' regime a breathing space and the opportunity to reorganize," arguing that any agreement without Iran renouncing uranium enrichment and support for militant groups would lead to a future confrontation "under tougher conditions." Netanyahu's most extreme coalition partners, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, had not yet publicly commented on the truce as of the time of reporting, according to La Razón. „There has never been a greater political disaster in our entire history. Israel was not even at the table when key decisions for our national security were made.” — Yair Lapid via La Razón

Israel's offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon began on March 2, 2025, three days after the US-Israel strikes on Iran that launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026, according to source articles. Hezbollah had been attacking northern Israel in response to those strikes. A prior ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah had been in force since November 2024, though Israel had been attacking Lebanon almost daily despite that agreement, according to El Confidencial. The mass explosion of Hezbollah pagers in September 2024, cited in multiple source articles as a reference point, marked a previous major escalation against the group's infrastructure. Iran had demanded an end to Israeli hostilities against Hezbollah as a condition for permanent peace in its 10-point proposal to the United States.