Defense Minister Announces “Immediate Destruction” of Bridges Over the River, as well as Surrounding Towns
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced this Sunday the commencement of an operation to “immediately” destroy the bridges spanning the Litani River—which serves as a geographical barrier separating southern Lebanon—after alleging that they are being utilized by Hezbollah militias to transport combat equipment. The operation also targets the surrounding towns, “following the model of Rafah” in the Gaza Strip.
This week, Israel has accelerated its invasion of southern Lebanon—a primary objective of the Israeli military—aiming to establish an exclusion zone bordering northern Israel, a region that has been the target of attacks by the militias of the Shiite party.
In a statement broadcast this Sunday, Katz announced that both he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have issued orders to “immediately destroy all bridges over the Litani River that are being used to carry out terrorist activities, in order to prevent the movement of Hezbollah terrorists and their weapons toward the south.”
Katz also announced that he has instructed the military to “accelerate the destruction of Lebanese homes along the line of contact in order to thwart threats to Israeli communities, in accordance with the model of Beit Hanoun and Rafah”—two towns located in the northwestern and southern Gaza Strip, respectively, which are currently under Israeli control.
The Defense Minister reiterated the order for forced evacuation previously issued by Israel, urging all residents living south of the Litani River to immediately leave the area and relocate to the north of the river.
