BEIRUT: European and Arab states have pressured Israel to stop targeting Beirut, a Western diplomat told AFP on Friday, two days after deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon that left more than 300 people dead. On Thursday afternoon, the Israeli military issued a warning of incoming strikes for large, densely populated areas of southern Beirut, but had not carried out the threat as of midday on Friday. The Western diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss sensitive matters, said on Friday &quot;There is ongoing diplomatic pressure from European states, Gulf states and Egypt on Israel to prevent renewed Israeli airstrikes on Beirut after &#39;Black Wednesday&#39;&quot;. More than 300 people, mostly civilians according to a Lebanese military source, were killed in the wave of simultaneous Israeli strikes on Wednesday on Beirut and other areas of Lebanon. The strikes were launched despite the announcement hours earlier of a truce between the United States and Iran, with Israel and the US saying it did not apply to Lebanon. Thursday&#39;s Israeli warning included areas home to major hospitals and the road to the country&#39;s only international airport. Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamni said, in a statement carried by the state-run National News Agency (NNA) on Thursday, that he had &quot;received assurances&quot; from foreign diplomats that the airport and the road leading to it would be spared. Meanwhile, Mohammad Zaatari, director of the country&#39;s largest public medical facility, Rafic Hariri Hospital, told AFP: &quot;We have received assurances, including from the International Committee of the Red Cross that the hospital would not be targeted.&quot; The World Health Organization on Thursday called on Israel to cancel its evacuation warning for the Jnah district of Beirut because around 450 patients were in the Rafic Hariri and Al-Zahraa hospitals in the district, including 40 in intensive care. In southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes hit several villages during the night and on Friday, the NNA reported. An AFP photographer saw firefighters extinguishing a fire in a building blown apart by a nighttime strike in the village of Habbouch, near Nabatiyeh.

Lebanese rescuers clear the rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building the day before in the Lebanese Beirut on April 9, 2026. (AFP)

Middle East

European and Arab states pressure Israel to halt strikes on Beirut after attacks killed over 300 in Lebanon, as Israeli warnings continue and civilians and key infrastructure remain at risk.

European, Arab pressure on Israel to stop strikes on Lebanese capital: diplomat 

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned Israel&rsquo;s ongoing military aggression against Lebanon, which has resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and the displacement of nearly half a million people, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. According to the statement, the Israeli actions, which are in &ldquo;contravention of international law,&quot; are undermining the efforts of the Government of Lebanon to ensure peace and stability in the country. It added that this could further exacerbate the ongoing security and humanitarian crises in the region. Earlier, two Israeli air attacks hit Lebanon&rsquo;s southern city of Tyre on Tuesday, known as Sour in Arabic, reported Al-Jazeera. This came shortly after the Israeli army issued a statement threatening attacks on Tyre and Sidon, known as Saida, urging residents to &ldquo;evacuate immediately and move at least 300 meters (about 1,000 ft) away.&quot;&nbsp;According to media reports, more than half a million people in Lebanon have been registered as displaced after fighting restarted between Israel and Hezbollah following the United States and Israel&rsquo;s war on Iran. &ldquo;We urge the international community to take urgent action to end the Israeli military aggression, the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, and the continued violations of Lebanon&rsquo;s sovereignty and territorial integrity,&quot; said the statement by the Foreign Office.&nbsp; The statement called for Israel&#39;s withdrawal from all &ldquo;occupied Lebanese territories&rdquo; immediately, fully, and unconditionally.&nbsp;It stated that Pakistan fully supports the brotherly people of Lebanon during this &ldquo;aggression&rdquo; and will continue to back all efforts to ensure lasting peace in Lebanon and the wider region.

Security

Foreign Affairs

According to a Foreign Office statement, Israeli actions are in 'contravention of international law,' and are undermining the efforts of the Government of Lebanon to ensure peace and stability in the country.

Articles tagged with "Israel strikes in Lebanon"

European, Arab pressure on Israel to stop strikes on Lebanese capital: diplomat

Pakistan condemns Israeli military aggression against Lebanon