Israel destroys east Lebanon bridge, hits south Beirut

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Beirut, Lebanon — An Israeli strike destroyed a bridge in eastern Lebanon on Friday, state media reported, after Israel warned it would hit the site to prevent Hezbollah reinforcements crossing.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said a blast at one of its positions in the country’s south near the border wounded three peacekeepers on Friday, the third similar incident in days.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when the Tehran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel to avenge the U.S.-Israeli attack that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israel has responded with massive strikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion in the country’s south.

The state-run National News Agency said: “Israeli warplanes targeted the bridge that links Sohmor with Mashghara, leading to its destruction.”

Israel’s military had warned that it would target two adjacent bridges over the Litani River in the area “to prevent the transfer of reinforcements and military equipment”.

Lebanese local media reported that the second bridge was also hit.

Israel has previously struck five other bridges over the Litani in the country’s south, including most of the main routes crossing the waterway.

The river runs around 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the Israeli border, an area where Israel has said it wants to maintain “security control”.

‘Against the war’

Also in Sohmor, two people were killed and 15 others wounded in an Israeli strike that hit “as worshippers were leaving the town’s mosque” after Friday prayers, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

Lebanese authorities have reported more than 1,300 dead in a month of hostilities.

UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said that “an explosion inside a UN position... injured three peacekeepers, two seriously”, adding that the origin of the blast was unknown.

Israel’s military accused Hezbollah of having launched a rocket that then hit the UNIFIL post.

Near the capital, Israel’s military carried out fresh strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, saying it was striking “terror infrastructure” in the Hezbollah stronghold, which has largely emptied of residents amid repeated Israel raids and warnings.

On the edge of the southern suburbs, Christians marked Good Friday in the Shiyah neighbourhood with a procession around the Saint Maroun Church, some holding flaming torches or singing religious chants.

Resident Hala Farah, 62, said she had never before missed the religious rites, even during repeated conflicts in the country.

“We’re always here, we have to hold on for the future of our children,” she told AFP at the entrance to the overflowing church.

Another worshipper, Patricia Haddad, 32, said she said she was not afraid of the nearby bombardment anymore.

“We got used to it, unfortunately,” she said, adding: “We are against the war.”

Strikes in south

The U.S. embassy in Lebanon warned that “Iran and its aligned terrorist militias may intend to target universities in Lebanon”, without identifying any specific institutions.

The warning came days after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened to target US universities in the Middle East after saying US-Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities.

Among other facilities, Lebanon is home to the American University of Beirut, one of the most prominent U.S. institutions in the region.

The NNA also reported strikes in south Lebanon, saying Israeli forces had “destroyed what remained of houses” in several frontier towns that were largely destroyed during the previous Israel-Hezbollah war that ended in 2024.

Israel’s army said it had struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon since last month, while Hezbollah said it had carried out 1,309 operations against Israeli targets.

On Sunday, an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed when a projectile exploded in a UNIFIL position, while another blast the following day killed two more Indonesian troops.

According to the UN, 97 force members have been killed in violence since UNIFIL was first established to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces after they invaded Lebanon in 1978.

The force’s mandate expires at the end of this year.

Margaux Bergey, AFP