BEIRUT: The Lebanese Health Ministry reported on Monday that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes has surpassed 3,000 since the escalation of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in early March. The ministry officially placed the casualty count at 3,020, marking a significant milestone in the hostilities, which persist despite a fragile ceasefire agreement.

The conflict intensified on March 2 following a Hezbollah rocket barrage into Israel, launched in response to an Israeli airstrike that killed Iran’s supreme leader.

Ceasefire Extensions and Continued Casualties

The milestone comes shortly after Lebanon and Israel agreed on Friday to extend their current truce by 45 days, with formal negotiations scheduled to resume at the beginning of June. However, the cessation of hostilities has been marred by persistent violence. According to the health ministry, more than 400 fatalities have been recorded since the initial ceasefire took effect on April 17, with both sides trading accusations of truce violations.

Under the terms of the U.S.-brokered deal, Israel retains the right to conduct military strikes to counter active Hezbollah operations. The Lebanese government has condemned these actions, asserting that the strikes undermine state efforts to establish exclusive regulatory control over weapons within its borders.

Ongoing Military Engagement

Since Friday's extension announcement, Israeli aerial operations have continued across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, resulting in dozens of additional casualties. On Saturday, a series of strikes targeted more than two dozen villages; official reports indicate that only nine of these locations received prior evacuation warnings from the Israeli military.

In response, Hezbollah announced it had launched a drone squadron targeting the Yaara barracks in northern Israel, alongside several localized operations against Israeli ground forces in southern Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the death of a soldier during Saturday's engagements. This brings total Israeli military losses to 20 since March, alongside four civilian fatalities. Meanwhile, Israeli ground forces maintain control of a buffer zone extending approximately 10 kilometers (six miles) into Lebanese territory from the shared border.