At Least 31 Killed and 149 Injured in Lebanon

At least 31 people have been killed and 149 others injured in a new wave of Israeli airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported on Monday.

The casualties come amid a broader escalation in the Middle East marked by intense clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants allied with Iran.

In an initial toll released by the ministry’s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, 20 people were killed and 91 wounded in strikes that targeted the densely populated Dahieh district of southern Beirut—long considered a Hezbollah stronghold. An additional 11 people were killed and 58 injured in areas across southern Lebanon, including towns close to the border with Israel, officials said.

The figures are preliminary and could rise as search and rescue teams continue to scour damaged buildings and transport the wounded to hospitals. Emergency crews are also clearing debris from roads and restoring access to critical areas.

The strikes follow a barrage of rockets and drones launched by Hezbollah into northern Israel in recent days, an escalation linked by analysts to the wider conflict that erupted after joint US-Israeli attacks on Iranian targets. Israel has said its actions are aimed at degrading Hezbollah’s capabilities and deterring further assaults.

Israeli authorities have ordered mass evacuations from approximately 50 villages in southern Lebanon and parts of the Bekaa Valley, urging civilians to move to safer locations at least 1,000 meters away from potential targets, a significant expansion of evacuation distances compared with previous conflicts.

The violence has triggered widespread fear and displacement. Residents in both Beirut’s southern suburbs and rural southern regions have been seen fleeing amid heavy shelling and repeated air raids, with highways congested as families seek refuge from the bombardment.

Lebanese political leaders have condemned the escalation. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that uncoordinated militant actions risk drawing Lebanon deeper into the broader regional war, while President Joseph Aoun emphasized that Lebanon should not be used as a platform for external conflicts.

International calls for de-escalation have grown louder as the conflict threatens to spread further across the region, with concerns mounting over civilian safety and humanitarian needs.