BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 23 (UPI) -- A temporary, 10-day cease-fire, which halted six weeks of intensified Israel-Hezbollah conflict, has revealed the scale of the human and material toll on Lebanon, including widespread, Gaza-style destruction across dozens of border villages in the southern portion of the country.
The brief lull did not stop Israel from pursuing what military observers describe as a "scorched-earth" policy to establish a 6.2-mile-deep military zone inside southern Lebanon, gradually wiping out entire villages and flattening or burning properties across some 55 villages within its self-proclaimed "Yellow Line."
More people have been killed or injured in Israeli airstrikes and bombardments since the cease-fire took effect April 17, prompting Hezbollah to respond days later with rocket fire and drones.
On Thursday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health released updated figures showing that 2,483 people have been killed and 7,707 injured since March 2.
Its latest casualty breakdown April 17 indicated that the dead included 177 children, 274 women and some 100 healthcare workers.
