Israel Launches 'Eternal Darkness' Strikes on Lebanon

Israel carried out a wide wave of airstrikes in Lebanon on April 8, 2026 , hitting about 100 locations across Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon. The attacks began shortly after 2 PM local time and destroyed multiple apartment buildings along with other infrastructure, according to the account provided in the source material.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported 357 fatalities and more than 1,200 injuries. Officials said work was still underway to identify all casualties, indicating that the toll could remain subject to verification as recovery and identification efforts continue.

Israel’s military said it named the operation “Eternal Darkness” and described its aim as striking Hezbollah “command centers” and military infrastructure. Israel also said the strikes killed more than 250 Hezbollah operatives and commanders. The source material states that some of the targeted areas included commercial streets and residential neighborhoods in Beirut, underscoring that the strikes affected densely populated urban zones as well as other regions.

The timing of the attacks was linked in the source material to a ceasefire in the joint U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran that had come into effect hours earlier. That ceasefire was subsequently extended to Lebanon, according to the same account, even as the airstrikes proceeded.

Separately, the source material says Israeli forces continue to hold more than 50 towns in southern Lebanon. It also cites reports that villages have been razed to create uninhabitable zones, a claim presented as reporting rather than independently verified detail within the provided text.

The account frames the Lebanon strikes as consistent with a pattern described in the Gaza conflict: heavy aerial bombardment, civilian displacement, and damage to civilian infrastructure. The source material does not provide additional operational details beyond Israel’s stated objectives and the reported casualty figures, leaving uncertainty around the full scope of targets and the breakdown of casualties.