Lebanon Conflict Claims or Injures 11 Children Every 24 Hours, Says UN

An average of 11 children have been killed or injured every day in Lebanon over the past week, according to UNICEF, as Israel intensified its military operations across the country despite an existing ceasefire.

Heavy Israeli airstrikes targeted towns and villages in southern Lebanon from Wednesday night into Thursday after Israel designated a new section of the region as a “combat zone.”

On Thursday, an Israeli strike hit a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire, which has failed to end clashes between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon.

Speaking on Friday, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the Blue Line—the UN-demarcated border between Israel and Lebanon—would not limit Israel’s operations against Hezbollah.

“Every strike against Hezbollah is a strike against Iran and its investments,” Zamir said. He added that Israel remains prepared for any escalation involving Iran and is ready to counter threats posed by drones.

UNICEF reported that 77 children have been killed or injured in the past seven days alone. Since the ceasefire took effect in April, 55 children have been killed and 212 others wounded, the agency said.

UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires described the figures as “staggering.”

The ceasefire, announced by Washington on April 16, was intended to halt the conflict that has been raging since March 2 between Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.