BEIRUT, Lebanon — The toll from simultaneous Israeli airstrikes on Beirut and other areas in Lebanon on Wednesday rose to over 200 dead and over 1,000 wounded, Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said Thursday.

 

Before taking part in a cabinet meeting, Nassereddine said: "The death toll stands at 203 martyrs and more than 1,000 wounded in the aggression against Lebanon on Wednesday." The ministry had earlier reported 182 dead and 890 wounded in Wednesday's attacks.

 

Lebanon declared a national day of mourning on Thursday after Israeli strikes pummelled the country, shaking a fragile truce less than 48 hours after it came into force.

 

Washington and Tehran both claimed victory after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and negotiations aimed at ending a war that has killed thousands across the Middle East and sparked global economic upheaval.

 

But the deal's fractures emerged quickly on Wednesday as Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on neighboring Lebanon -- including in densely packed central Beirut -- since the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah joined the war in early March.

 

The Lebanese prime minister's office said Thursday will be "a national day of mourning for the martyrs and wounded of the Israeli attacks that targeted hundreds of innocent, defenceless civilians", ordering the closure of public administrations and the lowering of flags.

 

Hours later, Hizbollah said it had fired rockets towards Israel in response to its "violation" of the US-Iran truce, which was agreed to late Tuesday.

 

Israel has said its battle against the Lebanese group was not part of the ceasefire, an argument echoed by US Vice President JD Vance, days before he is due to lead talks with Tehran in Pakistan.

 

"If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart... over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that's ultimately their choice," he said.

 

But Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf appeared to threaten the ceasefire, posting on X that the "workable basis on which to negotiate" had already been violated, making further talks "unreasonable".

 

Ghalibaf listed three alleged US violations of the truce plan: the continued attacks in Lebanon, a drone entering Iranian airspace and a denial of the country's right to enrichment.

 

Adding to the fragility of the truce -- agreed hours before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump -- a senior US official said Iran's 10-point plan was not the same set of conditions the White House had agreed to in order to pause the war.

 

In Lebanon, where UN rights chief Volker Turk called the scale of killing "horrific", strikes across the capital Beirut without warning triggered scenes of horror and panic.

 

"People started running left and right, and smoke was billowing," said Ali Younes, who was waiting for his wife near Corniche Al Mazraa, one of the areas targeted.

 

More than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched airstrikes and a ground invasion last month, local officials said.

 

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned they would "fulfil our duty and deliver a response" if Israel did not cease its strikes, while Hizbollah said it had a "right" to respond.

 

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country remained prepared to confront Iran if necessary, as it still had "objectives to complete", with the military saying it continued to pursue the goal of "disarming" Hizbollah in Lebanon.

 

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth also vowed that American forces remained at the ready if the conflict flared up again.