Iraq says Israel deadly strikes on Lebanon aim to ‘undermine’ US-Iran ceasefire
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Israel’s “brutal attacks” on Lebanon are aimed at “undermining” the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, the Iraqi government said, expressing its “strong condemnation” of the strikes that saw Tel Aviv hit around 100 targets within 10 minutes on Wednesday, killing more than 180 people and injuring nearly 900 others, according to preliminary, unofficial figures.
In a statement on X, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said, citing government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi, that Baghdad “strongly condemns the brutal attacks” carried out by Israel “against civilians in several Lebanese cities” on Wednesday, “including the capital, Beirut, which resulted in hundreds of martyrs and wounded.”
Awadi further accused the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of adopting an “aggressive approach aimed at perpetuating conflict and unrest,” adding that Wednesday’s strikes demonstrate what he described as “hostile plans to undermine the ceasefire” between the United States and Iran, which paused military operations on Tuesday following 39 days of conflict.
Baghdad urged “the international community, international organizations, and major powers to fulfill their responsibilities in preventing further crimes and to act decisively to protect innocent civilians.”
The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it had “completed the largest coordinated strike across Lebanon since the start of Operation Roaring Lion,” the name of its campaign against Iran, which began in parallel with Washington’s Operation Epic Fury against Tehran in late February.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that “in 10 minutes,” its forces targeted “more than 100 Hezbollah headquarters, military arrays, and command-and-control centers in Beirut, the Beqaa Valley, and southern Lebanon.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam however censured “the Israeli attacks that targeted hundreds of innocent, unarmed civilians,” declaring a day of national mourning, confirming efforts with “Arab counterparts and international officials to mobilize all of Lebanon’s political and diplomatic efforts to stop the Israeli killing machine.”
The Lebanese health ministry said late Wednesday that Israeli strikes had resulted in “182 deaths and 890 injuries,” according to preliminary figures, adding that the total number of casualties from Israeli strikes in Lebanon “between March 2 and April 8 had risen to 1,739 deaths and 5,873 injuries.”
Since early March, Israel has carried out hundreds of air raids on what it says are Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs, as well as in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
The escalation began after the Iran-backed Hezbollah launched an initial attack on Israel to “avenge” the killing of Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei (1939-2026), who was killed alongside other senior officials during US-Israeli strikes in Tehran on February 28.
US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had approved a two-week ceasefire proposal for operations against Iran that was presented by Pakistan to allow time for negotiations with Tehran. However, Israel argues that the truce does not extend to Lebanon - a position backed by Washington but disputed by both Islamabad and Tehran.