Lebanon reports death toll from Israeli attacks reaches 773

Beirut — The death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon since 2 March has reached 773 people, with a further 1,933 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health on Friday, 13 March.

The ministry reported a concerning increase in child casualties, with 103 children killed and 326 others wounded.

The crisis has affected approximately 1.3 million people, including up to 1 million internally displaced within Lebanon and nearly 100,000 who have crossed into Syria, according to Imran Riza, UN Deputy Special Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon.

Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs, Haneen Sayed, stated that children comprise nearly half of those affected, whilst women and girls account for more than half of the affected population.

In response to the situation, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Friday an emergency humanitarian appeal worth $325 million (1 USD = Rp16,899) for Lebanon at a press conference in Beirut, urging stronger international solidarity with the country.

Since the start of joint United States-Israel military operations against Iran on 28 February, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated sharply, with Hezbollah firing barrages of rockets towards communities in northern Israel whilst Israel has attacked locations in southern and eastern Lebanon, which Israel claims serve as bases and infrastructure for Hezbollah members.