More Than 7,300 Dead in Iran and Lebanon as Middle East War Ends in Ceasefire
A ceasefire agreement has been reached to end the four-month war in the Middle East that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, leaving more than 7,300 people dead in Iran and Lebanon alone according to official figures that are likely undercounts. [2]
Ceasefire Ends Four-Month Middle East War
The agreement halts the US-Israel war against Iran and related fighting that began with strikes on Iran in February. [2] Official reports indicate that more than 7,300 people have died in Iran and Lebanon since February 28 according to the official casualty reports from those countries. [2] Analysts have stated that the figures are almost certainly lower than the real totals because of restrictions on internet and media access imposed by governments and the difficulty of verifying numbers in areas with armed groups present. [2] Iain Overton, executive director of the British charity Action on Armed Violence, told BBC Verify that casualty figures in a multi-country conflict are often incomplete, late or impossible to verify independently. [2] Overton added that the final death toll is likely to remain a matter of controversy for years after the conflict ends. [2] The US and Israel launched the war against Iran in February. [4] The peace agreement reached on Wednesday includes a US commitment along with partners to cover reconstruction costs estimated at 260 billion euros for Iran. [4]
Death Toll in Iran
Official figures report at least 3,468 deaths in Iran including 1,460 civilians and 2,008 military. [2] An independent group estimates 3,636 deaths including 307 children. [2] By mid-April at least 3,468 Iranians including 499 women had died since the start of the US and Israeli attacks according to official figures from the Iranian government. [2] The state news agency IRNA reported on April 26 that the total included 1,460 civilians and 2,008 military. [2] The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency Hrana said its count was higher at 3,636 dead in a report published on May 18. [2] Hrana’s figure included 1,701 civilians among them 307 children, 1,221 military and 714 people whose identity or status could not be confirmed. [2] The organization described its documented figures as absolute minimums because access to information on deaths was severely limited by difficulty reaching websites, government-imposed internet blackouts and political repression. [2] Iranian authorities have accused the United States and Israel of striking civilian infrastructure in bombings across the country. [2] Investigations found that a US missile strike on the first day of the war hit a school in the city of Minab killing 168 people including 110 children according to Iranian officials. [2] The US military said it is investigating the attack. [2] Days later Iranian authorities reported that 20 people died when a missile struck a sports hall during a women’s volleyball match in the city of Lamerd. [2] The United States denied responsibility for the attack but experts told BBC Verify that a precision PrSM missile made in the United States was probably used. [2]
Ceasefire ends four-month Middle East war that killed over 7300 in Iran and Lebanon. — Source: gdelt
Casualties and Controversies in Lebanon
Lebanese authorities report 3,912 deaths from Israeli attacks including 366 women and 247 children. [2] Israel claims 3,000 Hezbollah fighters killed. [2] Lebanese health authorities say 3,912 people have been confirmed killed in Israeli attacks including 366 women and 247 children. [2] It remains unclear how many if any of those were Hezbollah fighters. [2] Hezbollah has not released its own figures but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that 3,000 fighters had died since the war with Iran began. [2] At the beginning of March the Lebanese Health Ministry said 41 people died in a major Israeli air and ground operation around a city in the eastern Bekaa valley. [2] The Israel Defense Forces said their troops were recovering the remains of an Israeli military aviator who disappeared during a previous conflict in Lebanon 40 years ago but Lebanese officials said three of their soldiers died along with several civilians and children. [2] On April 8 a massive wave of Israeli attacks killed at least 361 people in the space of 10 minutes according to Lebanese authorities. [2] The Israel Defense Forces said they attacked 250 Hezbollah agents that day but the Lebanese Health Ministry disputed the claim saying the great majority of the dead were civilians. [2] The United Nations says seven of its blue helmets also died in Lebanon with the most recent case occurring on June 4. [2] The Israeli campaign has drawn strong criticism for the high number of civilian casualties. [2] On Tuesday US President Donald Trump sharply criticized the Israel Defense Forces performance saying too many people have died in the attacks. [2] Trump said there is no need to bring down an apartment building every time someone is being sought because many people live in those buildings and not all are Hezbollah. [2]
Israeli Losses and Accusations of Iranian War Crimes
Israel reports 60 deaths including 29 civilians mostly from Iranian attacks and 31 soldiers. [2] Israeli authorities say 60 people have died the majority in Iranian attacks and in fighting with Hezbollah. [2] Among them were 29 civilians 21 of whom died in Iranian missile attacks according to government figures provided to the BBC. [2] Another 31 were Israel Defense Forces soldiers who died in combat. [2] One person died from accidental friendly fire according to the government. [2] Israel has frequently accused Iran of using cluster munitions against population centers in the country. [2] In one attack the Israel Defense Forces reported that a couple over 70 years old died while heading to an air-raid shelter after submunitions released by a cluster bomb struck the city of Ramat Gan. [2] In March the organization Human Rights Watch accused Tehran of committing war crimes by attacking civilian centers with cluster munitions. [2] Human Rights Watch crisis and conflict researcher Patrick Thompson said the cluster submunitions disperse over a wide area making them an illegal indiscriminate attack that violates the laws of war. [2]
Ceasefire ends four-month Middle East war that killed over 7300 in Iran and Lebanon. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Financial and Reconstruction Costs
The US has spent an estimated 115 billion euros so far mainly from rising fuel prices with the Pentagon requesting an additional 70 billion euros and facing years to replenish munitions including over half its Patriot missiles. [4] A Moody’s analytics unit estimated that the war has so far cost American consumers and taxpayers 115 billion euros with the majority of the costs coming from higher fuel prices at the pump. [4] The Pentagon informed Congress last month that the war has cost the United States 25 billion euros though that assessment did not include repair costs for damage to US bases in the Middle East or maintenance costs for troops and equipment stationed there. [4] The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon is requesting an additional 70 billion euros in funding for the war. [4] The United States needs to service or replace 42 manned and unmanned military aircraft lost in the war. [4] The United States also has to replace more than a thousand Tomahawk missiles it launched and 1,500 high-grade air-defense missiles. [4] The United States is estimated to have used more than half of its Patriot missiles in the war missiles that Ukraine urgently needs to strengthen its air defenses. [4] One Patriot missile costs an estimated 3.5 million euros. [4] Replenishing ammunition stocks is expensive and could take the United States more than six years according to the Council on Foreign Relations think tank. [4] As a result the United States is less well prepared to respond to threats such as those posed by Russia or China. [4] Reconstruction costs could reach 260 billion euros in Iran with the US and partners agreeing to cover that amount as part of the peace deal. [4] Gulf Arab states suffered around 50 billion euros in damages from Iranian attacks. [4] Some estimates put damages suffered by Persian Gulf Arab countries during the war at 50 billion euros. [4] Iran’s reconstruction is estimated in some assessments to cost 260 billion euros. [4] The United States as part of the peace agreement reached on Wednesday committed to compensating Iran for damages in that amount together with its partners. [4] Iran’s economy was already in very weak shape before the war and during the conflict it has gone into free fall with food prices rising further. [4]
Parallel Warnings from Ukraine on Russian Threat
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of massive Russian attacks in the coming days and accused Russia of drawing Belarus into the Ukraine conflict. [1] Zelenskyy asked people to be alert claiming massive Russian attacks in the coming days. [1] Zelenskyy also accused Russia of bringing Belarus into the conflict and warned of extremely dangerous consequences. [1] Russians are ready for a new large-scale attack according to Zelenskyy. [3]
What to watch next: Zelenskyy’s alerts about impending large-scale Russian attacks and accusations of Belarus involvement remain in focus alongside the separate context of the Ukraine war.
