Israeli strikes push up Lebanon's death toll, deepen economic strain

Lebanon has suffered mounting casualties and economic losses from continued Israeli attacks, with official data showing that the death toll has risen to 8,915 since October 8, 2023, while 30,543 people have been injured.

The prolonged conflict has also deepened economic pressure on the country, with Lebanon's economy projected to contract by 6.4% in 2026, according to the World Bank.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said on Friday that since March 2, 2026, Israeli attacks have killed 4,348 people and wounded 12,307 others.

Israeli strikes continued in southern Lebanon on Friday, mainly targeting areas in the Bint Jbeil and Nabatieh districts, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

The latest escalation came after Israel and Lebanon held their seventh round of negotiations in Rome earlier this month to advance security arrangements along their border and implement a framework agreement reached in Washington in late June, according to Lebanese media reports.

Meanwhile, the conflict has dealt another blow to Lebanon's fragile economic recovery.

In its latest Lebanon Economic Monitor report released Friday, the World Bank projected that Lebanon's economy would shrink by 6.4% in 2026, after renewed fighting disrupted a tentative recovery.

The report said Lebanon's economy had shown signs of stabilization in 2025, with real GDP estimated to have grown by 4.2% – its strongest performance since 2019.

However, the escalation of conflict in March halted the recovery, as infrastructure damage, population displacement and supply-chain disruptions weighed heavily on economic activity.

Tourism and domestic consumption, which were key drivers of the 2025 rebound, have also been hit by the renewed hostilities, according to the report titled "A Conflict-Torn Economy." "Lebanon's fragile recovery has been sharply set back by the renewed conflict," said Dahlia Khalifa, World Bank division director for the Middle East department.

She called for progress on banking and fiscal reforms to restore confidence and mobilize financing for reconstruction.

Meanwhile, the report stated that the country's inflation is forecast to rise to 17.5% in 2026, driven by supply disruptions, higher shipping costs and rising oil prices, further squeezing household purchasing power.

The report estimated that the conflict would reduce Lebanon's GDP growth by 10.4 percentage points compared with a scenario without renewed hostilities.

It warned that prolonged displacement, infrastructure damage and disruptions to education and health services could undermine Lebanon's medium-term growth prospects. (With input from Xinhua)