Lebanon is reeling after the deadliest day of renewed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The death toll has exceeded 300 as more bodies are found. Israel has authorized direct talks with Lebanon despite no diplomatic ties. The Health Ministry on Thursday reported 1,150 wounded in strikes that rocked Lebanon on Wednesday including busy parts of Beirut. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that talks would focus on disarming Hezbollah. Israel's military targeted Hezbollah sites. But strikes hit densely packed areas that led to civilian casualties. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the attacks "barbaric." The conflict has displaced more than a million people.

Israeli strikes have hit central Beirut without warning, causing panic after the announcement of the ceasefire in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Wednesday's strikes in the Lebanese capital came after Israel said the ceasefire does not apply to its fight with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. President Donald Trump later said Lebanon was not included in the deal. Israel's military said it hit over 100 targets in Beirut and other areas. Lebanon's health ministry said at least 89 people were killed and 700 were wounded. Associated Press journalists saw charred bodies in cars at one of the capital's busiest intersections. Hezbollah has not agreed to the ceasefire. Displaced families face uncertainty.

The Lebanese parliament has extended its term by two years due to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, which has pushed the region into an escalating conflict, and Israel stepped up its attacks on Lebanon. On Monday, lawmakers approved the move after fighting displaced more than half a million people in Lebanon. Israel also intensifies attacks on Lebanon, saying it targeted Hezbollah's financial arm, al-Qard al-Hasan, in Beirut's southern suburbs. Israel also said its ground forces launched "focused raids" in the south of Lebanon. Hezbollah said it hit Israeli troops and fired rockets into northern Israel. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of using white phosphorus in strikes on a Lebanese village in violation of international law.

Israel has carried out airstrikes on southern and northeastern Lebanon. Thursday's strikes come as the deadline to disarm Hezbollah looms. The attacks happened a day before a meeting of a committee monitoring a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The ceasefire ended the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah a year ago. The Israeli military said that it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and military sites. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that the strikes stretched from Mount Rihan to the northeastern Hermel region. The U.S. has increased pressure on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah in recent weeks.

The Lebanese army has condemned Israel's airstrikes on suburbs of Beirut, warning that such attacks are weakening the role of Lebanon's armed forces that might eventually suspend cooperation with the committee monitoring the truce that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war. The army's statement Friday came hours after the Israeli military struck several buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs that it said held underground facilities used by Hezbollah for drone production. The Lebanese army said it started coordinating with the committee observing the ceasefire after Israel's military issued a warning and sent patrols to the areas that were to be struck to search them.