Israel responded with a heavy wave of airstrikes targeting southern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area considered a Hezbollah stronghold. The death toll in Lebanon has now reached 634, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, while more than 800,000 people have been displaced from parts of southern Lebanon and southern Beirut following evacuation notices issued by the Israeli military, Lebanese officials say. There was also an unusual strike, described by Lebanese authorities as a possible double‑tap attack, in Al‑Bayda on the Lebanese coast, which killed at least eight people. The exchange of fire is continuing as the war involving Iran escalates further. Iran has attacked multiple oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route through which around 20% of the world’s oil passes, and has warned it will target any ship that tries to enter, effectively halting most traffic and raising fresh concerns over global energy supplies. Despite President Donald Trump’s comments late on Wednesday that the war could end “soon” and “any time” he chooses, developments on the ground suggest the conflict is only widening.
