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Lebanon Death Toll from War Rises to 217 as Israel Presses Strikes

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on March 6, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on March 6, 2026. (AFP)
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Lebanon Death Toll from War Rises to 217 as Israel Presses Strikes

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on March 6, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on March 6, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli air strikes battered Lebanon on Friday, sending the death toll since Monday up to at least 217, according to Lebanese authorities, as the premier warned "a humanitarian disaster is looming". 

The Israeli military renewed its strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs Friday afternoon, Lebanese state media reported, following night raids that left heavy damage in the area after residents fled en masse in response to Israeli evacuation warnings. 

Israel says it has killed "over 70" members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. 

A live broadcast by AFP showed plumes of smoke rising above buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, a typically densely populated area where Hezbollah holds sway. 

Speaking to foreign ambassadors Friday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said "the consequences of this displacement, at the humanitarian and political level, may well be unprecedented". 

According to Lebanese authorities, at least 217 people have been killed and 798 wounded since Israel's expanded attacks on Monday, with more than 95,000 people displaced. 

"Our country has been drawn into a devastating war that we did not seek and did not choose," Salam said. 

"Those who were forced to leave their homes are not and should not be held responsible for the suffering inflicted on them," he added. 

On Monday, the Lebanese government banned Hezbollah's military activities after it launched rockets on Israel to "avenge" Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, pulling Lebanon into the Middle East war. 

On Friday, in a message posted in Hebrew on the group's Telegram channels, Hezbollah told Israelis to evacuate all localities "located within 5 kilometers of the border". 

Israel has continued to strike dozens of areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, including Sidon, where five people were killed according to Lebanon's health ministry. 

An AFP photographer at the scene saw extensive damage in the targeted apartment and shattered glass on the street. 

Rescue workers meanwhile recovered a body from under the rubble and collected body parts scattered around the area. 

Further south in Tyre, home to a UNESCO World Heritage site, the NNA reported a major strike. 

- Southern suburbs - 

The Israeli military announced Friday that it had carried out 26 waves of strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs in the past four days. 

It added that Hezbollah had fired around 70 rockets toward Israel since midnight, and that the Lebanese group had launched coordinated attacks with Iran on Thursday. 

Rubble and dust covered a main road in one neighborhood of Beirut's suburbs Friday, while the buildings surrounding it were heavily damaged, AFPTV footage showed. 

After the Israeli evacuation warning on Thursday afternoon, there was a mass exodus from the area, whose population is estimated at between 600,000 and 800,000. 

Mohammad, 39, a resident of the southern suburbs, fled with his family when the bombing began on Monday. 

Returning on Thursday to check on his home and collect belongings just minutes before the Israeli evacuation warning, he said he "went down and found total chaos". 

Fatima al-Masri, 45, also escaped the southern suburbs and has been sheltering in central Beirut's Martyrs' Square for four days. 

"We want to eat and drink... we want to go to the bathroom," she said, adding that she "came here because the schools are full". 

- Strikes on south - 

Since Monday, Israel has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of square kilometers of southern Lebanon and sent ground forces across the border. 

The Israeli army chief on Thursday said he ordered forces deployed in southern Lebanon to expand their control inside south Lebanon. 

Hezbollah, for its part, claimed on Friday new attacks against northern Israel, including one the day before on a naval base in Haifa. 

Hezbollah also announced at dawn on Friday that it had targeted a cluster of Israeli vehicles advancing toward the town of Khiam, about six kilometers from the border, and "forced them to retreat". 

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Arab World

Damascus Foils Smuggling of 6,000 Detonators to Lebanon

Tunnel found in Homs countryside linking Qusayr to Lebanon (Syrian media)
Tunnel found in Homs countryside linking Qusayr to Lebanon (Syrian media)
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Damascus Foils Smuggling of 6,000 Detonators to Lebanon

Tunnel found in Homs countryside linking Qusayr to Lebanon (Syrian media)
Tunnel found in Homs countryside linking Qusayr to Lebanon (Syrian media)

Syrian authorities said they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of military-grade detonators from the Nabk area in the Qalamoun region of rural Damascus into Lebanon.

They also uncovered a cross-border tunnel and seized weapons depots prepared for smuggling, state media reported on Wednesday.

The Internal Security Directorate in Nabk said it dismantled a plan to move a large quantity of explosive detonators used in making improvised explosive devices, adding the shipment was bound for Lebanon.

In a statement, it said the operation was carried out with “high professionalism” after precise technical and field surveillance, preventing the materials from reaching their destination.

Authorities said about 6,000 detonators were seized, without identifying the smugglers or the intended recipients in Lebanon.

The announcement came as internal security forces in Homs reported discovering a tunnel linking Syrian and Lebanese territory in the border town of Housh al-Sayyed Ali, in the Qusayr area of southern Homs province.

Weapons and ammunition depots prepared for smuggling were also seized, according to the Syrian Al-Ikhbariya channel, which gave no details on who dug the tunnel.

Earlier this month, Syria’s defense ministry said it had uncovered a network of tunnels in the Qusayr area used to smuggle drugs and weapons, adding that Hezbollah had used them.

Qusayr has been one of Hezbollah’s main areas of influence in Syria since 2013, until the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad. The area served as a key supply route from Albu Kamal on the Iraqi border in Deir al-Zor, through Palmyra and Homs, to the Lebanese border.

Media reports say tunnels are widespread along the Qusayr border, alongside informal crossings used by residents to move between the two countries. For many, smuggling has become a source of income amid worsening economic conditions, poverty, and security instability, complicating efforts to secure the border.

The developments come amid fears Syria could be drawn into a wider conflict through Lebanon and efforts to disarm Hezbollah, with backing from the United States and Israel.

On April 11, Syria’s interior ministry said its counterterrorism department, working with internal security in rural Damascus, arrested five people in a cell linked to Hezbollah after tracking suspicious activity in the capital.

Authorities said a woman in the cell was caught attempting to carry out an attack by planting an explosive device near the home of a religious figure in Bab Touma, close to the Mariamite Cathedral. Media reports identified the target as Rabbi Michael Houri.

Earlier this month, the defense ministry allowed a photographer from Agence France-Presse to document the army’s deployment along the border for the first time since reinforcements were sent about a month earlier, including several cross-border tunnels that had recently been uncovered.

Mohammad Hammoud, a Syrian-Lebanese border official, told AFP the army had discovered “a network of tunnels linking the two countries” used to smuggle weapons and drugs. A Syrian army field commander also said Hezbollah had used the tunnels.

Hezbollah fought alongside Assad’s forces in the conflict that began in 2011 as a peaceful uprising before escalating into war.

An AFP photographer saw at least five tunnels crossing the border, including one that started in a house basement and led via concrete steps into narrow, dark passageways used for transit.

On March 28, Syrian authorities said they found a tunnel near a village west of Homs linking Syria to Lebanon, adding that “Lebanese militias” had used it for smuggling before it was closed.

In February, the interior ministry said it dismantled a cell behind attacks in the Mezzeh district of Damascus, adding the weapons used had come from Hezbollah, which denied involvement.

Arab World

Beirut MPs Meet to Back Weapons-Free City Declaration

Lebanese army soldiers deploy at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut (AP)
Lebanese army soldiers deploy at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut (AP)
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Beirut MPs Meet to Back Weapons-Free City Declaration

Lebanese army soldiers deploy at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut (AP)
Lebanese army soldiers deploy at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut (AP)

Beirut lawmakers and political parties in Lebanon’s parliament will hold a conference on Thursday backing a declaration of the capital as “safe and free of weapons,” after a government decision that followed deadly Israeli attacks on the city last week.

Organizers invited all Beirut MPs except those from Hezbollah and the Islamic Group, in a move targeting the party’s arms after the government banned its military activities.

The gathering also signals support for Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who came under attack from Hezbollah after the decision.

Organizers told Asharq Al-Awsat that rejecting the targeting of Salam reflects that the move “expresses the decisions of the Council of Ministers collectively.”

Beirut MPs are expected to endorse government efforts to assert state sovereignty and cement the state’s exclusive authority over decisions of war and peace. This includes measures tied to Hezbollah, notably limiting arms to legitimate state forces.

They will also back the executive authority, represented by the president, prime minister, and cabinet, in declaring Beirut a weapons-free city, and call for a strong, comprehensive deployment of the Lebanese army and security forces to protect citizens and prevent any unauthorized arms or threats to stability.

MP Fouad Makhzoumi said the Israeli attack last Wednesday, while condemned, underscored the risks to the city’s security.

“There is no solution except to place all weapons under the control of the state, including Hezbollah’s arms. This is the gateway to strengthening stability and protecting all Lebanese,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Makhzoumi said Beirut MPs fully support the decision and stressed the need for full, uncompromising implementation.

He called for a robust deployment of the army and security forces, warning against any leniency in enforcing measures he said would protect the city, its residents, and people displaced from southern Lebanon and other areas hit by Israeli attacks.

Last week, Beirut MPs, along with economic bodies and civil society groups, called for the conference to present a unified stance on developments, reaffirm the state’s role, and press for implementation of government decisions to protect the capital, its institutions, and residents.

In a statement, they condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory, including Beirut, and rejected dragging Lebanon into a war “that has nothing to do with it,” while backing government steps to reinforce sovereignty and stability.

They also denounced incitement and unrest in Beirut, saying it endangers residents and threatens security, and reiterated their commitment to national unity and rejection of sectarian strife.

Arab World

Ambassadors Set to Meet Again Ahead of Launch of Lebanon-Israel Negotiations

From left, Michael Needham, counselor for the US Dept. of State, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter pose for a photo before a meeting at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP)
From left, Michael Needham, counselor for the US Dept. of State, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter pose for a photo before a meeting at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP)
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Ambassadors Set to Meet Again Ahead of Launch of Lebanon-Israel Negotiations

From left, Michael Needham, counselor for the US Dept. of State, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter pose for a photo before a meeting at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP)
From left, Michael Needham, counselor for the US Dept. of State, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter pose for a photo before a meeting at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP)

Lebanon’s and Israel’s ambassadors to Washington are preparing for a second meeting after an initial round on Tuesday at the US State Department, hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The meeting is aimed at shaping talks and securing a ceasefire pushed by Washington before launching a negotiation track between the two countries.

Lebanon is pressing ahead with direct negotiations with Israel under US sponsorship, describing it as the only viable option to end the war, as the military track has stalled and failed to secure a ceasefire for 45 days, according to ministerial sources following the talks.

The sources said Washington is acting as “mediator, facilitator, and driver of the talks,” while also “pressuring Tel Aviv to implement a ceasefire.”

Rubio launched the talks on Tuesday, attended by Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israel’s ambassador Yechiel Leiter.

He described the meeting as the beginning of a long process aimed at reaching a final solution to Hezbollah’s influence in the region, rather than merely securing a ceasefire.

Second meeting

Lebanese ministerial sources said the first session marked “the start of a process aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement that would pave the way for negotiations under a mechanism to be agreed upon.”

They stressed the meeting was not a negotiating round, but a launch of the process, to be followed by setting a date for formal talks.

The sources revealed a second meeting would be held between the two ambassadors under US mediation to cement a ceasefire and continue the process afterward.

Rubio cautioned that the complexities of the conflict would not be resolved in a single day, framing the meeting as a “process” to lay the groundwork for future peace.

However, the sources said the atmosphere was “not tense and did not produce negative signals,” adding that Rubio “played a key role in backing the Lebanese position on implementing a ceasefire and strongly pushed for meeting Lebanon’s condition to move the file forward toward negotiations.”

Freedom of action

Lebanon is insisting on implementing the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024, which it says Israel violated.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat sources, Beirut is demanding an end to Israeli assassinations, warnings, and attacks carried out over the past 15 months, demands Israel rejects as it insists on maintaining “freedom of action.”

The sources said the Israeli side presented its own vision, while Lebanon presented its demands through Moawad, with the US side speaking before the exchange of ideas began.

Rubio then intervened to support the Lebanese push for a ceasefire, they added, describing the US role as “more than a facilitator,” with the secretary of state acting as a driver of the talks.

The ambassadors’ role is expected to conclude once a ceasefire is secured, after which a formal negotiation will begin at a location yet to be determined. Participants have already been agreed upon by both sides, with technical committees to be formed later for follow-up and discussions.

Framework agreement

A framework agreement for negotiations is expected once a ceasefire is reached. Lebanon’s priorities begin with an Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories, followed by the return of residents, reconstruction, and the release of detainees. Israel, however, insists on disarming Hezbollah during these stages.

Lebanese estimates suggest progress would be step-by-step, with each issue addressed before moving to the next.

For Lebanon, the track represents the only available path to end the war, death, and destruction.

Despite opposition from Hezbollah, Beirut points to precedents of direct negotiations, including the 1949 armistice agreement; the May 17, 1983 talks; the Madrid and Washington negotiations in 1993; and UN-sponsored maritime border talks in 2022, where representatives of both sides sat in the same room without addressing each other directly, instead speaking through US or UN mediators.

Political backing

The negotiation track has garnered domestic political support, except from Hezbollah.

Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar said Lebanon’s priority is reaching a ceasefire, stressing the importance of support from friendly and allied countries, as well as the key role of UN agencies, particularly as more than one million Lebanese have been displaced during the conflict.

The Kataeb party welcomed the launch of direct negotiations under US sponsorship, calling it “the only way to secure a ceasefire, end hostilities, ensure Israel’s withdrawal from occupied areas in southern Lebanon, enable displaced residents to return, achieve stability in Lebanon, and establish peace.”

It stressed the need for the Lebanese state to continue implementing its decisions on seizing all illegal weapons and banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities across Lebanese territory.