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Loud booms, smoke clouds: Israel bombs Qasmiya Bridge, Lebanon's key crossing link | Video
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday said that the army had been ordered to destroy more bridges over the Litani river “being used by Hezbollah”.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Sunday struck the Qasmiya Bridge on the Litani River in southern Lebanon, hours after it warned of bombing the crossing. The key crossing links Lebanon’s south to the rest of the country.
A video has emerged showing the moment the Israeli bombs struck the Qasmiya Bridge, with several blasts seen one after the other.
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According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA), three strikes on the bridge near Tyre "caused extensive damage, rendering it unusable". It later reported a fourth strike occurred.
The NNA said the strikes caused "damage to the electricity networks, in addition to serious damage to shops, orchards and parks adjacent to the bridge".
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had earlier warned that the bridge attacks "represent a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, and are considered a prelude to a ground invasion.”
Aoun said, "targeting bridges over the Litani River... is an attempt to sever the geographical link between the area south of the Litani and the rest of Lebanon's territory".
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz on Sunday said that the army had been ordered to destroy more bridges over the Litani river being used by Hezbollah in south Lebanon and to step up the demolition of houses.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I instructed the IDF to immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terrorist activity, in order to prevent Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from moving south," Katz said in a statement.
Israel expanding ground operation in Lebanon
The Israeli military announced on Sunday it was expanding its ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning of a lengthy operation, after Beirut condemned what it called Israel's flagrant violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
"The operation against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation has only begun... This is a prolonged operation," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.
"We are now preparing to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes according to an organised plan," he added.
In a separate statement on Sunday, military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the expansion of the ground operation would begin within the coming week.
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an Israeli-US strike.
