Lebanon’s Cabinet reviews response as Israeli strikes intensify, toll rises to 203 killed and 33 missing

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for the immediate strengthening of state authority over Beirut and reiterated the need to restrict all weapons to state control, as Israeli attacks continue to escalate.

In remarks issued amid intensifying strikes, the prime minister said the government would urgently file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council over what he described as Israeli violations and their expanding scope in Beirut. He warned that the “dangerous escalation” runs counter to all ongoing efforts to halt the war.

Information Minister Paul Morcos said President Joseph Aoun stressed that no party is authorized to negotiate on Lebanon’s behalf, underscoring that such a matter is exclusively a sovereign decision. 

“We do not accept anyone negotiating for us,” Morcos quoted the president as saying.

Morcos added that the Cabinet reviewed each minister’s efforts in responding to the Israeli attacks. The health minister reported that no final toll has yet been confirmed from the latest strikes, but preliminary figures indicate 203 people killed, 33 missing, and more than 1,000 wounded.