Lebanon’s Health Minister, Firas Abiad, announced on Tuesday that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday has risen to 558, with more than 1,800 injured. This marks the highest single-day casualty count since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
During a press conference, the minister stated that the updated toll from Monday’s airstrikes includes 558 dead, among them 50 children and 94 women. He emphasized that the majority of the victims were civilians sheltering in their homes.
The number of injured reached 1,835, with 54 hospitals mobilized to treat the wounded on Monday, according to Abiad. An earlier report by the Health Ministry late Monday cited 492 deaths and 1,645 injuries from the airstrikes.
Abiad condemned the Israeli claims that their attacks targeted combatants, stating that the high civilian casualties “disprove Israel’s false claims.”
On Monday, the Israeli military reported conducting air raids on approximately 1,600 targets in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley (eastern Lebanon), marking the most intense attacks since the escalation that began in October, triggered by the war in Gaza.
In retaliation, Hezbollah launched rockets at Israeli military sites and a factory producing explosive materials near Haifa.
Last Friday, Israel conducted an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb, killing 16 Hezbollah members, including Ibrahim Aqil, the commander of the elite Radwan Force.
According to Minister Abiad, the death toll from that strike has now reached 55, including seven children, up from a previous tally of 45 reported by the Health Ministry.
