Lebanon says Israel has bombed it nearly 3,500 times during ceasefire

Lebanon says Israel has bombed it nearly 3,500 times during ceasefire

June 8, 2026

8:33 PM GMT+10

Updated 1 hour ago


BEIRUT, June 8 (Reuters) - Israel has carried out nearly 3,500 air strikes on Lebanon ​and hundreds of controlled explosions since the U.S. announced a ceasefire ‌for the country on April 16, Lebanon's defence minister, Michel Menassa, said on Monday.

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect just after midnight on April 17, with Israeli troops still positioned deep inside ​southern Lebanon. While it has largely halted air strikes on Beirut ​and its suburbs, the truce has failed to halt fighting in ⁠southern Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

During a cabinet meeting, Menassa ​said that from April 17 to June 7, Israel had carried out 3,491 air ​strikes, 407 controlled demolitions and six "razing" operations, or demolitions - which have left some entire villages in the southernmost strip of Lebanon entirely flattened. The statistics were later published on X by ​the office of Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

The Israeli military did not immediately ​respond to a request for comment.

Salam said the latest escalation between Iran and Israel had ‌caused additional ⁠waves of displacement, straining Lebanon's ability to host fleeing families.

Already, more than 1 million people - a fifth of Lebanon's population - have been displaced by Israel's strikes and evacuation warnings across Lebanon since the war erupted on March 2.

The latest conflict ​broke out when Hezbollah ​fired rockets on ⁠Israel in support of its ally Iran, which was being struck by Israel and the United States.

Hezbollah has continued firing ​at Israel and has rejected U.S.-mediated talks between Lebanese and ​Israeli officials ⁠aimed at bolstering the ceasefire with a lasting agreement.

On Sunday, Israel struck Beirut's southern suburbs in retaliation for Hezbollah fire on northern Israel. In response, Tehran bombed northern ⁠Israel, ​which has fired back on various locations in Iran.

U.S. ​President Donald Trump said last week that ceasefires in the Middle East involved "shooting in a more moderate manner", ​rather than a total halt in fighting.