BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s health ministry announced Monday that fatalities from the current conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah have now exceeded 3,000 people.
Officials report the death count has reached 3,020, with casualties including 292 women and 211 children, as violence persists despite an unstable ceasefire agreement. The conflict initiated on March 2 when the Hezbollah militant organization launched attacks against Israel, occurring two days following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Israeli forces have subsequently launched ground operations in southern Lebanon while conducting bombing campaigns in Beirut and surrounding regions, stating their objective is to prevent Hezbollah’s rearmament efforts. The organization, which holds significant political influence within Lebanon, has rejected demands from various sources, including Lebanon’s own government, to surrender its weapons.
The conflict has forced more than one million Lebanese citizens from their homes, with many seeking refuge in makeshift tent camps along roadways and coastal areas near Beirut. Israeli forces continue facing challenges from persistent Hezbollah drone strikes.
Historic face-to-face negotiations between Israeli and Lebanese representatives, with American mediation, resulted in a ceasefire that took effect April 17 and has been prolonged through June. The two nations have remained technically at war since Israel’s establishment in 1948.
Hezbollah, however, is not part of the talks.
Israeli representatives have emphasized dismantling Hezbollah’s military capabilities and view the current discussions as potentially leading to normalized diplomatic ties. Lebanese negotiators indicate they are pursuing a security arrangement or armistice that would fall short of full diplomatic normalization.
U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly called for a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Aoun has declined to meet or speak directly with Netanyahu at this stage — a move that would likely generate blowback in Lebanon, where talks with Israel were met with protests.
Israeli casualties include twenty military personnel, two civilians within Israeli territory, and one defense contractor operating in southern Lebanon.
U.N. peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon have also been caught in the crossfire and six have been killed.
