Civilians or Hezbollah: Who did Israel hit on Lebanon’s ‘Black Wednesday’?

Key Points:

• On April 8, Israel launched over 100 airstrikes across Lebanon, killing at least 357 people, including many civilians, in what has been described by UN experts as indiscriminate attacks.
• Israel claimed the strikes targeted Hezbollah military sites, but investigations and casualty reports indicate a significant number of civilian deaths, including women, children, and non-combatants such as teachers and journalists.
• The attacks are part of Israel’s broader strategy to create a buffer zone along the Lebanon border by systematically destroying towns and villages in southern Lebanon.
• Human rights organizations criticize Israel for violating international humanitarian law by failing to distinguish between military targets and civilians, with little international accountability or deterrence.
• Although a ceasefire was announced on April 16, hostilities continue in southern Lebanon, and negotiations between Israel and Lebanon have begun despite Hezbollah’s objections.