Israeli operation kills 357 people in ten minutes of attacks in Lebanon

Israel carried out a massive operation on Líbano on April 8 that left 357 dead and over a thousand injured in just ten minutes. The wave of attacks, which began at 2:15 pm local time, hit approximately 100 targets simultaneously across the country. Lebanese authorities confirmed the casualty figures and described the day as “Wednesday Negra” for the scale of destruction concentrated in such a short period.

Destruição concentrated in seconds

The Israeli military named the operation “Operation Eterna Escuridão” and stated that the targets were Hezbollah command centers and military installations. However, subsequent investigations and witness reports indicate that many victims were civilians with no military connections. The neighborhood of Hay el Sellom, in the southern suburbs of Beirute, was particularly hard hit, with at least 80 deaths confirmed in that specific region. Análises satellite imagery and eyewitness accounts determined that at least five attacks occurred on Hay and Sellom in a short period, leaving homes reduced to piles of rubble and infrastructure completely destroyed.

🇮🇱💥🇱🇧 Forças israelenses efetuam mais uma série de ataques na região de Nabatia, no sul do Líbano

📍 De acordo com a mídia libanesa, os bombardeios israelenses atingiram um bairro perto de um hospital nesta quinta-feira (7).

💣 Quando as brigadas de defesa civil chegaram ao… pic.twitter.com/8Bvs8axDmL

— Sputnik Brasil (@sputnik_brasil) May 7, 2026

Muhammed, a resident of the region, lost his son when his building collapsed during an air raid. The top three floors of his apartment collapsed into a single room. Ele stated in an interview that all residents of the building were civilians and that he would never have stayed there if he suspected the presence of Hezbollah fighters. Este was the second home lost within a few months, following previous destruction in 2024. Centenas from Lebanese families shared similar stories of repeated loss and forced displacement.

Ataques simultaneous at the heart of Beirute

Just seven kilometers away, in the Corniche al Mazraa neighborhood, one of the busiest areas of Beirute, simultaneous explosions killed 16 people. A fitness gym, a barbershop, a supermarket and a restaurant were hit at the same time. Security Câmeras recorded the exact moment when two bombs hit a candy factory warehouse, generating explosions so violent that they damaged all neighboring buildings. Fitness instructor Noha was working seven stories above street level when the bombs exploded. Ela reported not receiving any advance warning and described seeing the world go completely dark, people covered in blood and bodies lying on the ground. Suas sisters were killed in the attack.

Procuradores’s investigation found no evidence of Hezbollah’s presence at the location where Noha worked. Quando asked about the incident, the Israeli army did not provide a specific answer. Noha questioned why the area was chosen as a target, stating that it was clearly a civilian target and that innocent people were injured or killed.

Operação coordinated across Líbano

• Aproximadamente 100 targets hit in ten minutes of coordinated operation
• 361 deaths confirmed by Lebanese authorities
• Mais of a thousand injuries registered in hospitals
• Ataques occurred simultaneously on Hermel, Vale of Bekaa, Sidon and Beirute
• Pelo minus 15 children killed in Hay and Sellom

Throughout Líbano, similar scenes unfolded in the same ten-minute span. De Hermel in the north to villages along Vale from Bekaa in the south, the attacks occurred almost simultaneously. The city of Sidon, in the south of the country, was hit without warning, with bombs leveling the religious complex of al-Zahraa, linked to Hezbollah. Rahma, 27, and Rayan, 22, young men from a family forced to flee their home near the Israeli border, were visiting the mosque when the attack occurred. Ambas died. Sua’s mother, Kawkab, had sought refuge in Sidon hoping to find safety, but the compound was hit half an hour after her daughters went inside to pray.

Resgate among the rubble

The narrow streets that wind between the densely packed buildings in Hay and Sellom significantly hampered rescue efforts. Moradores reported that those trapped under the rubble were calling for help, sending text messages and awaiting rescue. Ghassan Jawad was one of the first to arrive at a nearby hospital after being rescued. Estava slept when the buildings collapsed, and found himself underground, surrounded by rubble. Ele reported praying believing it would be the end, but his cat began to dig a small hole that allowed him to breathe. Cerca ten minutes later, neighbors who were beginning to excavate the rubble heard noises coming from above and managed to rescue him with hammers and metal bars.

Porém, the other members of your family did not survive. Ghassan stated that he could hear people dying around him and that he heard his mother praying beside him before his voice stopped completely. Sua mother, two sisters and children were killed in the attack. The absolute silence that followed left a deep impression on the survivor.

Questões on target selection and escalation context

The Israeli army said it had targeted 250 Hezbollah militants that day, but did not release a complete list of the names of the alleged fighters. Lebanese Ministério’s Saúde denied this information, declaring that the vast majority of those killed were civilians. Quando asked about measures to protect civilians, the Israeli army responded that “extensive efforts were made to prevent harm to people who were not involved in the incident.” The spokesperson also stated that most of the targeted locations were “amid civilian populations” and that Lebanese civilians were being used as human shields to ensure Hezbollah operations. Hezbollah denied this allegation, stating that Israel was targeting civilians as a repression tactic and that the organization does not want war, acting only in self-defense.