Over 1,500 people have been killed in Lebanon in nearly a year of Israel-Hezbollah hostilities

 

Rescuers sift through the rubble at the scene of an Israeli strike in Beirut on September 21. 

AFP via Getty Images

At least 1,540 people have been killed across Lebanon since hostilities erupted between Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and Israel on October 8 last year, according to a report released by Lebanon’s Disaster Risk Management Unit on Thursday.

At least 5,410 other people have been wounded since then, the report said.

Among the victims, 60 people have been killed and 81 wounded in the past 24 hours, according to the report.

The figures in the report did not distinguish between militants and civilians.

More context: Israel and Hezbollah have been trading deadly cross-border fire for months, forcing tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border to flee. Violence escalated over the past week in a series of Israeli surprise attacks and strikes.