Israel Strikes Beirut: Hezbollah Sites Hit After Bridge Destroyed

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Israeli military began striking what it described as “Hezbollah infrastructure” in Beirut on Saturday, following the destruction of a bridge in eastern Lebanon intended to impede the movement of reinforcements for the Iran-backed group.

Strikes Target Beirut and Eastern Lebanon

An AFP journalist reported hearing two explosions in the Lebanese capital within half an hour early Saturday, with smoke visible rising from one of the locations. Local media outlets reported strikes targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area that has seen increased Israeli military activity in recent days.

Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East conflict on March 2 when Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel, citing retaliation for a US-Israeli attack that resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

On Friday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that an explosion at one of its positions in southern Lebanon, near the border, wounded three peacekeepers. This was the third such incident in recent days.

Israel’s military had previously announced its intention to target two bridges over the Litani River, stating the goal was to “prevent the transfer of reinforcements and military equipment.” The Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA) confirmed that a bridge linking Sohmor with Mashghara was destroyed in an Israeli strike.

Reports from Lebanese media indicated a second bridge was also hit. Continued strikes in Sohmor were reported into Saturday morning, with the NNA stating the town center was hit twice.

Israel has previously struck five other bridges over the Litani River in southern Lebanon, targeting key routes across the waterway. The Litani River is approximately 30km north of the Israeli border, an area Israel has stated it intends to maintain “security control” over.

In Sohmor, a separate Israeli strike on Friday killed two people and wounded 15 others as worshippers were leaving a mosque after Friday prayers, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Lebanese authorities report that over 1,300 people have been killed in the month of ongoing hostilities.

UNIFIL Positions Targeted

UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel stated that an explosion within a UN position injured three peacekeepers, adding that the origin of the blast remains unknown. Israel’s army has accused Hezbollah of launching a rocket that struck the post.

Despite the ongoing conflict, residents of Beirut continued with religious observances. Hala Farah, 62, a resident of Shiyah, stated she had never missed Good Friday rites, even during previous conflicts. Patricia Haddad, 32, another worshipper, said she had become accustomed to the bombardments.

Israel’s army claims to have struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon since last month, while Hezbollah reports carrying out 1,309 operations against Israeli targets. Earlier this week, an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed by a projectile explosion at a UNIFIL position, followed by another blast that killed two more Indonesian troops. Since its establishment in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, 97 UNIFIL members have been killed in violence, according to the UN. The force’s current mandate expires at the end of this year.