Rescue workers pulled bodies from collapsed buildings in the capital and in southern villages including Abbassiyeh, near Tyre, where smoke was still rising on Thursday morning. The scale of the bombardment made it the deadliest day in the latest phase of the Israel-Hezbollah war and deepened fears of a wider regional spillover.
The toll rose sharply from an earlier official count of 182 dead and 890 wounded, suggesting more victims remained trapped under rubble overnight. Israeli strikes hit central Beirut as well as southern Lebanon and other districts, damaging homes, shops and key roads in densely populated areas.
In Beirut, emergency crews worked through the night in neighbourhoods such as Tallet el-Khayat, while hospitals struggled to absorb the wounded. Lebanese officials say the raids struck civilian zones without warning, adding to pressure on an already weakened health system.