A360
Key Takeaways✦ Atlas AI
01
254 killed, 1,165 wounded in Beirut.
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Strikes targeted residential areas with 1,000-pound bombs.
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Lebanese officials condemn civilian targeting.
Atlas AI
Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday, April 9, 2026, hit more than 100 locations across Lebanon, killing at least 254 people and injuring 1,165, according to initial figures from Lebanon's civil defense. The heaviest impact was reported in Beirut, where densely populated residential districts were struck, including the Barbour and Tallet al-Khayyat neighborhoods. Officials and residents described widespread destruction in areas that had been viewed as relatively safe.
Israel said the operation was named "Operation Eternal Darkness" and stated that the targets were Hezbollah command-and-control centers. Lebanese officials and residents, however, said the strikes involved 1,000-pound bombs and resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties. First responders continued searching through debris for survivors and additional victims, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise as recovery efforts continued.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of violating international law by striking unarmed civilians in residential areas. The reported casualty pattern included children and older people, according to accounts from the affected neighborhoods. The scale of damage and the concentration of casualties in civilian zones intensified scrutiny of how targets were selected and what precautions were taken, as described by Lebanese officials and residents.
The health system in Beirut reported acute strain as casualties arrived in large numbers. The American University of Beirut Medical College (AUBMC) said it received about 70 wounded people at the same time, with many suffering critical injuries, including crush wounds. The influx, combined with the severity of trauma, was described as overwhelming for local medical capacity.
Lebanon's civil defense said the reported death toll from the April 9 strikes exceeded the number of fatalities from the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Rescue teams continued operations amid rubble in multiple locations, and officials cautioned that the initial counts could change as more areas were reached and more victims were identified.
