Nothing will bring back my son: How 10 minutes of bombing by Israel shattered lives in Lebanon

Survivors and relatives shared their grief and called for defence of Lebanon. Mohammed, father of Abbas, lamented the loss of his son and reflected that 'this brick can be rebuilt, but nothing will bring back my son.' He also expressed sympathy for Hezbollah as a defender of Lebanon.

The Israeli Defense Forces said it targeted 250 Hezbollah operatives that day but did not provide a full list. Lebanon’s health ministry disputed this, saying the vast majority of those killed were civilians. The IDF stated it had taken extensive steps to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals.

Lebanese health authorities reported the day’s death toll at 361 and more than 1,000 injuries. The report notes that the majority of those killed were civilians.

Witnesses and observers reported strikes across the country within a short window, from Hermel in the north to villages in the Bekaa Valley and into the deep south, illustrating the breadth of the 10-minute assault.

In Sidon, bombs hit the al Zahraa religious complex. Rahma and Rayan, young sisters, were killed while visiting the mosque. The cleric Sheikh Sadiq Naboulsi was killed, as was Mohammed Ma'ani, a senior Hezbollah official. The IDF declined to confirm whether these individuals were the intended targets.

In central Beirut’s Corniche al Mazraa, a gym class was in session when bombs struck a confectionery warehouse nearby. Noha, a fitness instructor, described the scene as the area turned to chaos, with multiple strikes within a one-mile radius of the gym.

In Hay el Sellom, a building was hit and collapsed, trapping residents. The neighborhood saw at least five strikes in quick succession. Lebanese health authorities reported more than 80 killed in the area, including at least 15 children. A resident described the personal loss and the impact on his family, noting the destruction to his home and the loss of his son.

A wave of Israeli strikes began at 14:15 local time, hitting about 100 targets across Lebanon in the space of 10 minutes. The destruction described as surpassing any other day in this war, with the death toll reaching 361 and more than 1,000 injured.

Earlier on April 8, a temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran was announced, described as a pause in a wider regional war that had already reshaped the Middle East, raising cautious hope that Lebanon might be spared before the assault began.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, fired rockets into Israel on March 2 in response to US and Israeli attacks on Iran, marking an escalation that preceded the Lebanon strikes described in this report.