Israel’s massacre in Lebanon: 254 including infants killed in 10 mins

Beirut: In one of the deadliest episodes since the end of the Lebanese Civil War of 1990, Israeli airstrikes killed 254 people and injured 1,165 in Lebanon within a span of ten minutes, triggering widespread devastation and panic across Beirut.

The strikes hit more than 100 locations simultaneously in densely populated areas, including the Barber district, with heavy 1,000-pound bombs flattening residential buildings. Entire neighbourhoods were reduced to rubble, with emergency responders pulling out bodies that were severely disfigured. Among the victims were infants and elderly civilians, highlighting the scale of human loss.

Israel said the operation, named Operation Eternal Darkness, targeted Hezbollah command centres. However, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam indicated that a majority of those killed were civilians, raising serious concerns about the nature of the assault and the choice of targets.

Hospitals across Beirut were overwhelmed within minutes, struggling to cope with the influx of critically injured victims ranging from 11-month-old infants to 90-year-olds. Medical personnel reported that the intensity and timing of the strikes appeared designed to cripple emergency response systems.

The scale of destruction has drawn comparisons to the Beirut port explosion, intensifying fears of further escalation.

Israeli strikes killed at least three journalists in Gaza and Lebanon on Wednesday, intensifying global alarm over the growing death toll among media workers in conflict zones and raising serious questions about compliance with international humanitarian law, according to reports.

The dead include Mohammed Wishah, a correspondent with Al Jazeera Media Network, and Lebanese journalists Ghada Dayekh and Suzan Khalil. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the killings occurred amid ongoing Israeli military operations that have repeatedly struck civilian areas and media personnel.