By ABC NEWS Verify
WARNING: This article contains sensitive and potentially upsetting information.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a military operation dubbed Operation Eternal Darkness, which has been referred to as Black Wednesday in Lebanon. The airstrikes commenced shortly before 2:15 PM local time on April 8.
Just four minutes later, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) published a brief report stating, “Air strikes target Beirut.” Within a span of 10 minutes, over 100 bombs were released from approximately 50 Israeli aircraft.
By 2:26 PM, official IDF communications on Telegram confirmed that they had struck around 100 military facilities and infrastructure linked to Hezbollah, a militant organization supported by Iran.
This barrage occurred only hours after an agreement was reached between Iran and the United States for a temporary two-week ceasefire aimed at facilitating negotiations for a lasting peace. However, the IDF clarified that Lebanon was not part of this ceasefire, as renewed hostilities had erupted between Hezbollah and Israel in early March.
ABC NEWS Verify conducted a geolocation analysis of the impacted sites during the IDF’s operation on April 8 to assess the severity and scope of the airstrikes.
Through video footage, survivor accounts, and local media reports, we have documented one of the most significant mass casualty incidents since the conclusion of Lebanon’s civil war in 1990.
From Corniche to the Airport
The Dahiyeh neighborhood, situated south of Beirut’s city center, is infamous for its association with Hezbollah and has frequently been subjected to Israeli assaults. It has experienced ongoing bombardment during the current escalation of violence between Israel and Hezbollah.
On March 10, Israel issued evacuation notices for Dahiyeh ahead of the attacks, and the area was targeted again on April 1, resulting in at least five fatalities and 21 injuries.
On April 8, Ghida Fakih was at her workplace when she received Snapchats from her 13-year-old daughter, Naya, who was returning home from basketball practice. Ms. Fakih recounted that Naya was walking along Corniche al-Mazraa when the explosions began. Initially, there was no cause for alarm.
“I heard a loud boom, but we dismissed it, thinking it was a sonic boom or a strike in Dahiyeh. I never imagined it was near our home,” Ms. Fakih explained to ABC NEWS Verify.
In a video, Naya can be seen reacting to a loud noise above her and calling out to her father, Mohamad, as multiple explosions occur while they seek shelter.
“She called me in tears. I couldn’t make out what she was saying,” Ms. Fakih recalled, noting that the call was abruptly disconnected.
She further described how a building housing a nut roastery, Rifai, was struck just as her daughter and husband passed by. Nader Khalil, a long-time mixed nuts vendor, lost his life in the blast.
At 2:15 PM, security camera footage from the Habibona Snack Restaurant in Corniche al-Mazraa captured the chaos as the bombs fell. The timestamp on the video indicates 1:15 PM, reflecting Lebanon’s recent shift from daylight saving time.
The footage reveals at least five explosions before smoke and dust fill the restaurant. Meanwhile, Ms. Fakih’s two sons, aged 11 and four, were at their home in Salim Salam, approximately 400 meters from the nut roastery. Torn between her children, she expressed her anguish.
“All I wanted was to hold them all and make it stop. No mother should have to choose which child to reach out to first,” she said.
Beirut’s central area was not the only location affected by the strikes. Hayy al-Salloum, one of the city’s impoverished neighborhoods located near Rafik Hariri International Airport, also faced bombardment. A video verified by ABC NEWS Verify shows the Nassereddine market in Hayy al-Salloum completely destroyed.
Local media reported that Salim Salam, Talet El Khayat, and Corniche al-Mazraa were among the first areas targeted in the IDF’s rapid 10-minute assault, along with the suburbs of Borj Abi Haidar and Bashoura. As L’Orient noted, these areas did not receive prior warnings of the strikes.
Laura Sidaoui shared on Instagram that her aunt Afaf and cousin Hassan were in their Talet El Khayat apartment when it was struck. “It broke me. The pain is unbearable. So unfair,” she expressed.
The following wave of attacks shifted to the villages of Kaifoun and Bshamoun, located east of Beirut, as well as Aitat further afield.
Earlier that day, IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee had warned residents via social media to evacuate seven suburbs in southern Beirut: Haret Hreik, Ghobeiri, Laylaki, Hadath, Burj al-Barajneh, Tahwitat al-Ghadir, and Chiyah.
A Funeral in Bekaa and Subsequent Attacks
As IDF aircraft flew overhead, residents of Chmistar in the Bekaa Valley were attending a funeral for a local individual. The cemetery, located in the village’s southwest, was reportedly bombed during the initial wave of airstrikes, with local news sources first reporting on it at 2:18 PM.
A witness at the funeral recounted, “We were burying my grandfather who passed away naturally. They targeted a mass for the funeral procession.” Hezbollah confirmed that at least six of its members were among those killed in the airstrike, while the Lebanese Army reported the deaths of four soldiers.
Further strikes were also reported across the Bekaa Valley, affecting the villages of Hermel, Karak, Ferzol, Boudai, and Sohmor. In the southern Nabatieh district, a monitored Telegram channel indicated strikes in Zifta, Qseibeh, Bediass, Sir al-Gharbieh, Ansar, Sharqieh, Baissariyeh, Houmin, and Qaaqaaiyet al-Jisr.
Additionally, an Israeli strike on an al-Zahraa compound in the southern city of Sidon reportedly resulted in multiple casualties, including the deaths and injuries of at least 15 individuals. Lebanese media identified Sheikh Sadek Naboulsi, a professor and noted Hezbollah affiliate, as one of the fatalities.
As details about the timing and specific locations of the April 8 strikes continue to emerge, the overall impact of the operation remains under investigation.
