Israeli air strikes kill 254 in Lebanon on Wednesday

The death toll in Lebanon has risen to 254, with more than 800 people injured, following Israeli air strikes on several areas across the country, the Lebanese Civil Defence said on Wednesday evening.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry had earlier reported that dozens were killed and hundreds wounded in simultaneous strikes that hit multiple areas, including the capital, Beirut.

In a statement, the ministry said: “In a very serious escalation, Israeli enemy aircraft launched a wave of simultaneous raids on many Lebanese areas, resulting in dozens of martyrs and hundreds of injured.”

The ministry urged residents to reduce congestion in Beirut’s neighbourhoods to allow ambulance and rescue teams to move more quickly, warning that heavy traffic is obstructing access to targeted areas.

It also stressed the need to keep roads clear for emergency crews to ensure they can assist the wounded, amid what it described as an unprecedented intensity and scale of air strikes.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it had carried out what it described as its largest bombing campaign on Lebanon since Hezbollah entered the war with Iran on 2 March 2026.