Israeli bombings in Lebanon have already caused over 900 deaths and one million displaced people, with growing concerns of genocide.
The toll of Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon is becoming increasingly dramatic. The bombings began in late February, alongside those in Iran, and have so far caused 968 deaths and one million displaced people out of a population of four million.
Israel initially targeted villages in the south and the outskirts of Beirut, but bombs are now also being dropped in the centre of the capital. The stated objective, as in late 2023 and 2024, is to strike the political-military group Hezbollah. However, statements by Israeli government officials and military operations suggest a scenario increasingly similar to that of the Gaza Strip, raising concerns about the risk of genocide.
Following the start of Israeli and US bombings in Iran and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the pro-Iranian Lebanese organisation Hezbollah launched rockets into Israeli territory. Tel Aviv’s response was immediate: since February 28, the Israeli army has continuously bombed Lebanon, effectively ending the ceasefire agreed with Hezbollah in autumn 2024 — a truce that had already been repeatedly violated, including through forms of environmental destruction.
Israel initially carried out airstrikes in southern rural Lebanon and in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut. Targets included military depots and infrastructure, but also civilian structures, including hotels and private homes. Each time, Israel justified the attacks by claiming the presence of Hezbollah members.
As days passed, Israeli forces extended strikes to central Beirut, in areas historically considered safe. On the night of March 17–18, for example, a building in the central Bachoura district, near the Lebanese parliament, was completely destroyed. Although an evacuation warning had been issued one hour before that strike, similar attacks carried out the same night — which killed at least 20 people — were not preceded by warnings.
Meanwhile, Israeli ground forces have entered Lebanon, and clashes with Hezbollah militants are ongoing in strategic southern areas such as Khiam. Israel has announced a limited ground operation, aiming to occupy certain villages and disrupt Hezbollah supply lines. Airstrikes on bridges over the Litani River have also cut connections between northern and southern Lebanon.
At the same time, Israeli forces are massing troops and equipment along the border, raising fears of a large-scale ground invasion of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, has set conditions to end all retaliation against Israel. These include a halt to Israeli attacks, allowing displaced people to return to their homes, the release of prisoners captured over the past two years, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.
After nearly three weeks of bombing, the humanitarian toll is already severe. The death toll stands at 968, including hundreds of children, while more than 2,000 people have been injured. Traffic jams are forming daily along Lebanese roads, especially in the south and outside Beirut, as people try to flee to safer areas. Displacement has already reached one million people, with many fleeing to neighbouring Syria.
The Israeli offensive has also severely impacted Lebanon’s healthcare system. Since early March, 31 healthcare workers have been killed and 51 injured. According to the Lebanese government, Israeli forces have carried out at least 37 attacks on medical facilities and personnel.
Among these was the strike on a clinic in Borj Qalaouiyeh, in southern Lebanon, which killed all the doctors present except one. Lebanon’s Health Ministry described the attack as “criminal conduct”, and the World health organization (Who) also condemned it. As in Gaza, Israel has justified such attacks by claiming that Hezbollah uses hospitals and ambulances for military purposes — an assertion that has not been proven.
The United nations office for human rights has stated that Israeli attacks in Lebanon may constitute “war crimes.” The situation increasingly resembles the early stages of the Gaza offensive in October 2023, and statements by Israeli officials reinforce this concern.
“Soon Dahiyeh will look like Khan Younis,” said Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, referring to the Palestinian city largely destroyed by years of bombing. Defence Minister Israel Katz made similar remarks, saying that in Lebanon Israel should do what it has already done in Rafah and Beit Hanoun.Former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has called for striking and eliminating “everything” in major Lebanese cities, while references have re-emerged to the so-called “Dahiyeh doctrine” — a military strategy used in the 2006 Lebanon war involving widespread bombardment of civilian areas for deterrence purposes. Zvi Sukkot, a member of the government, has called for the occupation of southern Lebanon in order to “destroy the villages and annex the territory to the State of Israel.” Amit Halevi, a member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, has called for moving the yellow line — the one marking Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip — up to the Lebanese Litani River, which would mean Israeli occupation of a large portion of southern Lebanon. Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said that the army must “strike and eliminate everything located in Dahiyeh, Baalbek, Tyre, Sidon, Nabatieh, everywhere.” In addition, in Israel there has been renewed discussion of the “Dahiyeh doctrine,” the military strategy implemented by Israel in Lebanon during the 2006 war, which consisted of indiscriminate bombardment of civilians as a form of deterrence.
Statements by Israeli officials echo those cited by South Africa in its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
“The scale, geographic scope and coordinated intensity of these actions indicate an intent not only to target military objectives, but to inflict widespread suffering and create living conditions that make civilian life unsustainable,” said the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security, a US-based organisation. The institute has issued a red alert on the situation in Lebanon, warning that “the Gaza scenario is repeating itself before our eyes.”
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