Israel Strikes 8th Litani Bridge in Southern Lebanon
The Israeli army's strike on the Qasmiyeh Sea Bridge — one of the most strategically vital crossings in the south, linking the region's western, central, and eastern corridors and serving as a primary artery for civilians, vehicles, and goods — was confirmed by a state-run news agency, which described a violent airstrike that completely demolished the structure on Wednesday. The bridge had previously sustained damage from earlier Israeli strikes before being finished off entirely.
In a related development, the Lebanese army announced Wednesday via X, the US social media platform, that it had evacuated the bridge in the city of Tyre following a direct Israeli threat to target it.
The mounting destruction has prompted urgent calls from families trapped south of the Litani for internationally supervised evacuations, with residents warning the area now faces a suffocating siege. A correspondent on the ground reported that the loss of the Qasmiyeh bridge and other key crossings has severed major transportation routes, leaving communities with only tenuous access via the Bargaz bridge — the last remaining operational crossing over the Litani River in the south.
The Bargaz bridge, which connects the inland towns of Hasbaya and Hazin, offers little practical relief for most displaced residents, particularly those in coastal areas such as Tyre, where reaching it requires lengthy detours over damaged or hazardous roads.
— Tyre Cut Off From Sidon
The annihilation of the Qasmiyeh bridge has effectively severed Tyre and its surrounding district from the city of Sidon, as the overwhelming majority of crossings linking northern and southern Lebanon have now been put out of service. The lone functioning span — the inland Bargaz bridge — does not compensate for the loss, with roads approaching the Khardali bridge also rendered impassable by Israeli strikes.
Of the nine main bridges spanning the Litani River from Lake Qaraoun to the Mediterranean, seven lie in the south — including four major crossings: Qasmiyeh, Khardali, Qaqqaiyat, and Tayr Falsiyeh — alongside secondary spans such as the old Qasmiyeh, Bargaz, and Zrariyeh bridges. Two additional crossings lie in the western Bekaa region. Of this entire network, only the Bargaz bridge remains intact and operational.
The offensive's escalation arrives one day after Washington and Tehran announced a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, brokered by Pakistan, as a preliminary step toward a permanent halt to the war launched by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran on Feb. 28 — a conflict that has already claimed thousands of lives. While Islamabad and Tehran stated that the truce encompasses Lebanon, both Washington and Tel Aviv denied this — and the Israeli military proceeded to unleash a massive wave of deadly airstrikes on Wednesday alone, killing 254 people and wounding 1,165, according to Lebanon's Civil Defense.
Since Israel dramatically expanded its offensive on Lebanon on March 2, the cumulative death toll has reached 1,739, with a further 5,873 wounded, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry — figures that continue to climb with each passing day of bombardment.
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