Lebanon death toll nears 400 as Israel strikes Beirut hotel
Lebanon’s health minister Rakan Nassereddine said Israeli attacks had killed 394 people, including 83 children and 42 women, since the latest escalation began.
An Israeli air strike earlier Sunday hit a hotel room in Beirut’s Raouche district, killing four people and wounding 10, according to the health ministry. It marked the first strike on the city centre since the current war with Hezbollah erupted.
Israel’s military said the strike targeted key commanders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, while a security official said three bodies were recovered from the hotel by Hezbollah-linked rescuers.
The conflict escalated last week after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, prompting Israeli air strikes across Lebanon and a ground deployment near the border. Israel said two soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, the first military fatalities since the offensive began on March 2.
Hezbollah said it targeted northern Israel on Sunday, including a naval base in Haifa and drone attacks toward Nahariya.
In southern Lebanon, an Israeli strike on the town of Sir al-Gharbiyeh killed 11 people, including children, while rescue teams searched for survivors under the rubble.
Israel’s military said it had struck more than 600 Hezbollah targets and killed around 200 fighters in the past week.
Meanwhile, Lebanon evacuated 117 Iranian nationals, including diplomats, on a Russian plane to Türkiye after Beirut banned activities by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Lebanese officials accused Israel of targeting civilians, saying nine rescue workers had also been killed since the fighting began.
