A large wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed at least 89 people and wounded 722 others on Wednesday, health minister Rakan Nassereddine told Al Jazeera.
“The initial and non-final toll… we have more than 89 martyrs and more than 722 wounded as of 5:00 pm (1400 GMT),” he said.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of attacking “densely populated residential areas” despite ceasefire efforts.
In a statement on X, Salam said Lebanon has welcomed a recent ceasefire announcement agreement between Iran and the US.
“While we intensified our efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, Israel continued to escalate its attacks targeting densely populated residential areas that claimed the lives of innocent civilians throughout Lebanon, particularly in the capital, Beirut.”
The premier accused Israel of “disregarding all regional and international efforts to end the war.
Blatant violation
Israel “blatantly violated the principles of international law and international humanitarian law, which it has never respected in the first place,” he said, calling on Lebanon’s friends “to stop these attacks by all available means.”
In a statement, the Lebanese Presidency said the “barbaric attacks, which respect neither agreements nor commitments, repeatedly demonstrate Israel’s disregard for all international laws and norms.”