Image: from Mossad Commentary X @MOSSADil
By Open Chronicle Staff | Tuesday, March 10, 2026
BEIRUT / TEL AVIV — The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health confirmed late Monday that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes and ground incursions has surged to 486, with at least 1,313 wounded. The updated figures reflect a week of high-intensity warfare that began on March 2, when Hezbollah launched a massive rocket barrage toward northern Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Among the dead are at least 83 children and 42 women, according to Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine. The ministry also reported that nine health workers have been killed and several hospitals damaged, forcing some facilities to suspend operations under heavy fire.
A Rapidly Expanding Front
The conflict has effectively shattered the November 2024 ceasefire, with the IDF launching what it calls an “offensive military campaign” to create a buffer zone south of the Litani River.
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Mass Displacement: The UN reports that over 110,000 people are formally registered in collective shelters, though the actual number of displaced individuals is estimated to exceed 400,000.
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Beirut Under Fire: Israeli jets have repeatedly struck the southern suburbs of Beirut (Dahiyeh), targeting Hezbollah command structures. On Monday, fresh plumes of smoke were seen over the capital following strikes on alleged IRGC-linked facilities.
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Ground Incursions: IDF divisions have pushed past the border, with heavy clashes reported near the towns of Khiam, Houla, and Kfar Kila.
The Political Rift in Beirut
The escalation has triggered a severe internal crisis for the Lebanese state. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has officially banned all Hezbollah military activities, demanding the group surrender its weapons to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
“Decisions of war and peace rest exclusively with the state,” Salam declared, calling Hezbollah’s unilateral entry into the war an “unprovoked act of aggression” that endangers national survival. However, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem dismissed the government’s stance in a televised address, framing the rocket fire as a “legitimate right of existential defense” against the U.S.–Israeli coalition.
International Alarm
The surge in casualties has prompted France to request an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut has issued a “shelter-in-place” directive for its citizens, advising them to stock up on food and water for an extended period as commercial flights become increasingly unpredictable.
As the IDF prepares for what it describes as “weeks of fighting,” the humanitarian situation in Lebanon is deteriorating at a pace not seen since the 2006 war, with over 70% of the population now in need of emergency assistance.