“Deeply shocked” Belgian Foreign minister at embassy in Beirut during air strikes
On Wednesday, the Israeli army carried out an air strike just a few hundred metres from the Belgian embassy in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, where foreign minister Maxime Prévot was present at the time. Prévot said he is “deeply shocked” by “one of the bloodiest days Lebanon has experienced in recent times”. Dozens were killed and hundreds injured in Israeli attacks on Wednesday.
According to local authorities, the Israeli army fired around a hundred missiles across the country in the space of six minutes. Five explosions were heard in the capital, followed by huge plumes of black smoke, which were clearly visible from the presidential palace on the hills of Beirut, where minister Prévot was also a guest. Sirens soon sounded throughout the city.
“This is one of the bloodiest days Lebanon has experienced in recent times,” said Prévot after his talks with president Joseph Aoun and prime minister Nawaf Salam. “We were convinced that it was necessary to come here to express our support. We are deeply shocked and share the emotions of the country and its people.”
In Lebanon on Wednesday, “dozens were killed and hundreds injured” in Israeli attacks, the Lebanese ministry of Health initially reported, before providing more precise figures: at least 89 dead and over 700 injured. This is a preliminary casualty toll, the death toll may rise further. AFP journalists on the ground reported on the chaos caused by the attacks in Beirut. They described burning buildings, burnt-out cars, children who have been killed and people who have lost limbs.
Israel itself describes the offensive as the “largest coordinated attack” against the pro-Iranian group Hezbollah since the start of the war in early March. Israel maintains that the ceasefire between Iran and the United States does not apply to Lebanon. US president Donald Trump also said as much today, speaking to a journalist from the public broadcaster PBS.
Pakistan, which mediated during the negotiations, has in turn stated that the United States, Iran and their allies have accepted a ceasefire “everywhere”, including in Lebanon.
“I earnestly and sincerely urge all parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks, as agreed upon, so that diplomacy can take a lead role towards peaceful settlement of the conflict,” said Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on X. Iran has already threatened to withdraw from the agreement if Israel continues to attack Lebanon.
Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire following an Israeli strike on Beirut on April 8, 2026 © PHOTO Ibrahim AMRO / AFP + Video of minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot during a visit in Lebanon © BELGA VIDEO JEROME FETU
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