Israel strikes main bridge in south Lebanon, orders destruction of homes near border

## Summary
Advertisement World Israel strikes main bridge in south Lebanon, orders destruction of homes near border Israel's approach is similar to its model used in Beit Hanoun and Rafah in Gaza, where the military created buffer zones by clearing and demolishing buildings near the border. A view of area of a bridge, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, near Qasmiyeh, Lebanon, on Mar 22, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh) 22 Mar 2026 08:37PM (Updated: 22 Mar 2026 11:13PM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST TEL AVIV: Israel struck a main bridge linking Lebanon's south to the rest of the country on Sunday (Mar 22) after ordering its military to destroy all crossings over Lebanon's Litani River and to step up the demolition of homes near the southern border. People try to light a fire next to tents at a temporary encampment for displaced people, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Mar 22, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi) ISRAELI CIVILIAN KILLED Earlier, an Israeli was killed in his car near the border with Lebanon after what the military described as a "launch" from Lebanese territory.

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Israel strikes main bridge in south Lebanon, orders destruction of homes near border
Israel's approach is similar to its model used in Beit Hanoun and Rafah in Gaza, where the military created buffer zones by clearing and demolishing buildings near the border.
A view of area of a bridge, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, near Qasmiyeh, Lebanon, on Mar 22, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
22 Mar 2026 08:37PM
(Updated: 22 Mar 2026 11:13PM)
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TEL AVIV: Israel struck a main bridge linking Lebanon's south to the rest of the country on Sunday (Mar 22) after ordering its military to destroy all crossings over Lebanon's Litani River and to step up the demolition of homes near the southern border.
The destruction of bridges and homes marks a significant escalation in Israel's military campaign in Lebanon, which was pulled into the regional war on March 2 when armed group Hezbollah fired into Israeli territory.
International law generally prohibits militaries from attacking civilian infrastructure, and the United Nations human rights chief has criticised Israel's actions in Lebanon, particularly its use of widespread evacuation orders.
Sunday's strike pulverised a crossing on Lebanon's coastal highway that ran through farmland and was one of the main routes linking southern and central Lebanon.
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An Israeli military spokesperson had announced the army would strike the bridge earlier on Sunday.
Lama al-Fares, who lives on farmland adjacent to the crossing, said her family packed whatever they could into their car when they saw the warning. They drove about a kilometre north on the highway and waited out the strike on a hilltop overlooking the highway.
"Our house is right next to the bridge. It was destroyed in the last war and we had rebuilt a basic structure to live in - I hope it's still standing," she told Reuters.
People try to light a fire next to tents at a temporary encampment for displaced people, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Mar 22, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi)
ISRAELI CIVILIAN KILLED
Earlier, an Israeli was killed in his car near the border with Lebanon after what the military described as a "launch" from Lebanese territory. It was the first Israeli civilian death linked to fire from Lebanon in the current war. Two Israeli soldiers have also been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon.
Israel's strikes on Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people, including nearly 120 children, 80 women and 40 medical personnel, according to Lebanon's health ministry. Lebanese authorities do not otherwise distinguish between civilians and militants.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that the military had been ordered to destroy all bridges over the Litani River used for "terrorist activity," to prevent Hezbollah militants and weapons from moving south.
The Israeli military had already destroyed three bridges in southern Lebanon in the last 10 days.
Katz also said the military was ordered to accelerate the demolition of Lebanese homes in "frontline villages" to neutralise threats to Israeli communities.
He described the approach as similar to the model used in Beit Hanoun and Rafah in Gaza, where the military created buffer zones by clearing and demolishing buildings near the border.
A girl looks inside a car covered with a family’s belongings at a temporary encampment for displaced people, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Mar 22, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
"HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE"
Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters that international law requires armed actors to take into account the civilian harm caused by strikes on infrastructure like bridges, even if the targets were being used for military purposes.
"If all these bridges are struck, and the region that is south of the Litani becomes isolated from the rest of the country, then the civilian harm is going to be so immense that you have a humanitarian catastrophe as people still living in the south won't be able to access food, medicine and other basic needs," Kaiss said.
Destroying homes in southern Lebanon wholesale would amount to

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- The destruction of bridges and homes marks a significant escalation in Israel's military campaign in Lebanon, which was pulled into the regional war on March 2 when armed group Hezbollah fired into Israeli territory.
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot met with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, in Jerusalem on Friday, telling reporters that he had expressed France's reservations about a ground operation of "significant scale and duration".

### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less An Israeli military spokesperson had announced the army would strike the bridge earlier on Sunday.

### Implications
- Lama al-Fares, who lives on farmland adjacent to the crossing, said her family packed whatever they could into their car when they saw the warning.
- Barrot said he had urged Lebanese and Israeli officials to find a lasting solution, which he said could not be achieved through military force alone.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers lebanon, israeli, israel topics. Notable strengths include discussion of lebanon. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1085.