Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday declared a national day of mourning after Israeli attacks on “unarmed civilians.”
Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday killed at least 254 people and injured 1,165 others, with densely populated neighborhoods in the capital, Beirut, among the hardest hit, according to the latest data provided by the Lebanese Civil Defense.
Salam stressed that he will continue to hold talks with Arab leaders and international officials to mobilize Lebanon’s political and diplomatic efforts to stop the Israeli attacks.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday it has completed “the largest coordinated strike across Lebanon” since the start of the regional conflict, hours after a US-Iran truce came into effect.
A two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran took effect early Wednesday. Israel claimed it would comply with the truce, but insisted the agreement does not cover Lebanon, although Pakistan, the mediator of the deal, said it does apply to Lebanon.
Here is how the world has reacted to the Israeli strikes.
Iran vows ‘regret-inducing’ response
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday warned that if Israel does not immediately stop attacking Lebanon, it will receive a “regret-inducing” response.
In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said that only a few hours after the announcement of the ceasefire agreement, Israel had started a “brutal massacre” in Lebanon. It warned the United States and Israel of a “regret-inducing” response if the attacks were not immediately stopped.
Condemning the Israeli attacks, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted on social media platform X, “The Iran-US ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the US must choose – ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both.”
Iraq condemns Israeli attacks
The Iraqi government on Wednesday strongly condemned the Israeli attacks.
In a statement, Iraqi government spokesperson Basim al-Awadi said that Israel has pursued an aggressive approach, aimed at fueling conflict and instability, which he contended demonstrates the country’s deliberate intent to undermine the newly achieved truce.
The attacks also reflect Israel’s persistence in committing more crimes, in disregard of international law and global peace and security, al-Awadi said.
He urged the international community, relevant organizations and major countries to fulfill their responsibilities, and take decisive action to prevent further crimes and protect innocent civilians.
France: Lebanon must be included in ceasefire
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday condemned Israel’s latest strikes on Lebanon, stressing that “Lebanon must be fully covered by” the Middle East ceasefire.
France condemns “in the strongest possible terms” Israel’s “indiscriminate strikes” in Lebanon on Wednesday that caused “a very high number of civilian casualties,” Macron said on X after speaking by phone with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
These strikes “pose a direct threat to the sustainability of the ceasefire that has just been reached. Lebanon must be fully covered by it,” Macron added.
Macron also spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump on Wednesday after the announcement of the ceasefire.
“I told both of them that their decision to accept a ceasefire was the best possible one,” he said on X.
“I expressed my hope that the ceasefire will be fully respected by each of the belligerents, across all areas of confrontation, including in Lebanon,” Macron said.
UN: ‘Nothing short of horrific’
The United Nations “strongly condemns” the strikes by Israel across Lebanon that resulted in significant civilian casualties, said the deputy spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Farhan Haq.
“We continue to call on all sides to avail themselves of diplomatic channels, cease hostilities, and use the new US-Iran ceasefire as an opportunity to prevent further loss of life,” he added, according to Al Jazeera.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said “the scale of the killing and destruction in Lebanon today is nothing short of horrific” in a statement.
“Such carnage, within hours of agreeing to a ceasefire with Iran, defies belief. It places enormous pressure on a fragile peace, which is so desperately needed by civilians.”
At least 1,530 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the recent escalation on March 2, Imran Riza, UN deputy special coordinator resident and humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, said on Wednesday.
Riza added that the casualties included 130 children killed and 461 injured, citing the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
“It is a huge civilian tragedy,” he told reporters at the UN headquarters via video link.
(With input from Xinhua)
