Israeli forces carried out strikes across southern Lebanon, including multiple hits on a bridge near Tyre, prompting Lebanon's President Michel Aoun to warn the attacks could foreshadow a ground invasion. Israel says it is targeting bridges over the Litani River to stop alleged Hezbollah movement; Lebanese state media reported several bridge strikes and house demolitions. The three-week conflict has reportedly left around 1,029 dead and displaced more than one million people, with both sides claiming attacks and casualties.
Israel Strikes Southern Lebanon, Hits Key Bridge Near Tyre as Beirut Warns of Possible Ground Invasion
A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Qasmiyeh bridge near Tyre district, after Israel said the bridge was being used by Hezbollah (Kawnat HAJU)(Kawnat HAJU/AFP/AFP)
Israeli forces launched fresh strikes across southern Lebanon on Sunday, hitting multiple targets including a strategically important bridge near the coastal city of Tyre. Lebanon's president warned the attacks could be a prelude to a full ground invasion.
Israel's military said it had been ordered to destroy bridges it believes Hezbollah uses to move fighters and weapons across the Litani River. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes in several southern areas and said a bridge outside Tyre was hit multiple times, leaving it unusable.
President's Warning
Lebanese President Michel Aoun condemned the strikes as "a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty," saying they were being viewed in Beirut as a potential prelude to a ground invasion.
The Israeli military said it had begun "a wide wave of strikes" against what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Defence Minister Israel Katz, citing orders from the government, said the military had been instructed to destroy bridges over the Litani River that are allegedly being used for "terrorist activity" and to accelerate demolitions of houses in contact villages to counter threats to Israeli communities.
Damage and Casualties
According to the NNA, three strikes on the Tyre-area bridge "caused extensive damage, rendering it unusable," and the agency later reported a fourth strike. The NNA also said Israeli forces were "blowing up a number of houses" in the border town of Taybeh. Lebanon's health ministry reported four people were killed on Sunday in two strikes in the south. Authorities say the three-week conflict has left around 1,029 people dead and displaced more than one million residents.
Hezbollah Response and Clashes
Hezbollah has launched rocket barrages and claimed responsibility for attacks mainly directed at Israeli troops in northern Israel and Israeli positions in southern Lebanon, where Israel has sent ground forces and carried out airstrikes. The group said it had targeted Israeli forces in towns including Naqura and Khiam. The Israeli military said it killed a fighter identified as the commander of the Radwan Force, Hezbollah's special-forces unit.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel said rocket fire from Lebanon had killed a civilian, but later said it was investigating whether the casualty might have resulted from fire by Israeli forces.
Wider Context
The confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified since early March, when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel in retaliation for an attack it blamed on Israel and its allies. Israel says it seeks to prevent the southward movement of fighters and weapons and has ordered evacuations in parts of southern Lebanon while saying it aims to create a buffer zone to protect northern Israeli communities.
Reporting from the region remains fluid, with conflicting claims from both sides and verification limited in active combat zones.
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