On a Wednesday in mid-March, Israeli forces began striking the bridges spanning the Litani river, threatening to cut south Lebanon off from the rest of its own country. The strikes followed an evacuation order for the city of Tyre, issued less than a day earlier, that set off confusion and fear among its residents. Behind them lies a war that began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired in vengeance for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, and that has since spread through the region. More than a million people have now been uprooted in a country of under six million, and the ancient question of wh
South Lebanon Faces Isolation as Israeli Strikes Hit Litani Bridges and Displacement Tops One Million
At least 968 killed in Lebanon including 116 children and 77 women, 2,432 wounded, and over one million registered displaced; 10 killed and 27 injured in Beirut strikes.
A classroom of children killed or injured every day
Mark
Why do the bridges matter so much?
Mimi
The Litani is the dividing line for the south. Aid workers estimated about 150,000 people were still south of it before the Tyre warning and these strikes. If the crossings go, getting out, or getting help in, gets much harder.
Luke
And Israel says Hezbollah used the bridges to move weapons. Is that established?
Mark
The claim came from an Israeli military account on X, and it was posted without evidence. So it's an assertion, not a verified finding.
Mimi
The people who stayed behind didn't all do so out of defiance. Some believe nowhere in Lebanon is safe, and Wednesday's four strikes on central Beirut gave them reason to think so.
Mark
What about the evacuation orders themselves?
Luke
Lawyers say blanket orders like these are likely illegal, but that's a legal opinion, not a ruling. The source doesn't say any court has decided.
Mimi
At least 14 per cent of the country is covered by them, and over a million people are registered as displaced.
Mark
The Al-Manar official was killed too.
Luke
Mohammad Sherri and his wife died. Hezbollah calls it a crime against media, but the source notes journalists lose protection if actively participating in military activities. Whether that applies here isn't addressed.
Mimi
The 968 dead figure comes from the Lebanese health ministry, and that's the count everyone is leaning on.
Der Puls
- Israeli strikes on Litani bridges threaten to sever south Lebanon from the rest of the country within hours of a chaotic Tyre evacuation order.
- Over one million people are registered as displaced, and roughly a seventh of Lebanon's territory now sits under evacuation orders that lawyers say may be illegal.
- Central Beirut was struck four times in one morning, levelling a high-rise and killing at least ten, including a Hezbollah-linked journalist and his wife, while panicked crowds gathered in the streets.
- The national death toll has reached 968, with 116 children among the dead, and the regional war is widening as Iran's Gulf energy infrastructure comes under fire and oil prices surge.
- Calls for de-escalation and a political path grow louder, yet no ceasefire is in sight and those who remain in the south do so because they believe nowhere is safe.
On a Wednesday in mid-March, Israeli forces began striking the bridges spanning the Litani river, threatening to cut south Lebanon off from the rest of its own country. The strikes followed an evacuation order for the city of Tyre, issued less than a day earlier, that set off confusion and fear among its residents. Behind them lies a war that began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired in vengeance for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, and that has since spread through the region. More than a million people have now been uprooted in a country of under six million, and the ancient question of whether a civilian population can be ordered from its homes is once again being asked in courtrooms of conscience and law.
On Wednesday, Israeli forces began striking bridges over the Litani river, a move that could cut the southern part of Lebanon off from the rest of the country. The announcement came less than fourteen hours after the Israeli military told residents of Tyre to leave and move roughly 18 kilometres north, an order that left people confused and frightened. The military said the bridges were used by Hezbollah to move weapons, though it offered no evidence for the claim.
The war traces back to March 2, when Hezbollah opened fire to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Israel answered with a campaign against the group. More than one million people are now registered as displaced in a country of roughly 5.8 million, and at least 14 per cent of Lebanon is under evacuation orders that lawyers say may be unlawful. Before the Tyre warning, aid workers estimated about 150,000 people were still south of the Litani, many staying because they believe nowhere in the country is safe.
In Beirut, four strikes came on Wednesday morning, one of them levelling a high-rise in Bachoura near the parliament. Among the at least ten dead were Mohammad Sherri, director of political programmes at Al-Manar TV, and his wife. The national toll stands at 968, including 116 children, and UNICEF says the equivalent of a classroom of children is being killed or injured every day.
The wider war is also spreading. Israel killed Iran's intelligence minister, a day after killing a security chief, and the Pars gasfield was hit in the first reported strike on Iran's Gulf energy infrastructure. Tehran has vowed retaliation against oil and gas targets across the Gulf. For now, the open question is whether the bridges isolate the south entirely, and whether any path toward de-escalation can be found.
On Wednesday, Israeli forces began striking bridges over the Litani river, a move that puts parts of south Lebanon at risk of being severed from the rest of the country. The announcement came less than 14 hours after the Israeli military told residents of the southern city of Tyre to leave and move roughly 18km north, an order that set off confusion and panic.
An Israeli military account on X said the bridges were being used by Hezbollah operatives and commanders to transport thousands of weapons, including rockets and launchers. The post offered no evidence for the claim. Another bridge had already been targeted last Friday.
The offensive traces back to March 2nd, when Hezbollah opened fire to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Israel responded by launching its campaign against the group. Hezbollah said it launched drones, rockets and artillery shells into Israeli territory on Tuesday.
The scale of displacement is now large. More than one million people are registered as displaced in a country of roughly 5.8 million. At least 14 per cent of Lebanon's territory is under evacuation orders. Lawyers say such blanket warnings are likely illegal, since international law prohibits the forced displacement of a civilian population except under certain conditions or on a temporary basis.
Aid workers had estimated that about 150,000 people remained south of the Litani before the Tyre warning and the bridge strikes. Some stayed because they believe nowhere in the country is safe, a sense deepened by the latest strikes on central Beirut.
Four of those strikes came on Wednesday morning. Three arrived without warning; one was preceded by a warning at about 4am. The Israeli military levelled a high-rise in the Bachoura neighbourhood, near Beirut's tech hub and the Lebanese parliament. Two more strikes hit the Zuqaq al-Blat area. After the second, hundreds of panicked people gathered while first responders put out a fire and escorted older residents out of nearby buildings. The Lebanese health ministry said at least 10 people were killed and 27 injured.
Among the dead were Mohammad Sherri, director of political programmes at Hezbollah-linked Al-Manar TV, and his wife. Hezbollah, which is a political party and social movement as well as a militant group, called on international media-freedom and human rights organisations to take urgent action to expose the killing. Under international humanitarian law, killing journalists is illegal regardless of affiliation unless they are actively taking part in military activities.
The health ministry puts the national death toll at 968, including 116 children and 77 women. At least 2,432 people have been wounded, 356 of them children, and at least 40 medics and first responders have been killed. Unicef says the equivalent of a classroom of children is being killed or injured every day. Deputy executive director Ted Chaiban told Reuters on Tuesday that the children have paid a terrible price, and that the first call is for de-escalation and a political way forward.
The regional war is widening too. Israel killed Iran's intelligence minister Esmail Khatib on Wednesday, a day after killing security chief Ali Larijani. The huge Pars gasfield was hit in the first reported strike on Iran's Gulf energy infrastructure, an attack widely reported in Israeli media to have been carried out by Israel with US consent. Neither country has acknowledged responsibility. Tehran said it would respond with attacks on oil and gas targets across the Gulf, and oil prices rose sharply. What to watch now is whether the bridge strikes isolate the south entirely, and whether any de-escalation emerges.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
They've paid a terrible price. And the first thing we're calling for is a de-escalation, a political way forward to this war.— Ted Chaiban, Unicef deputy executive director, to Reuters
Hezbollah called on international media-freedom and human rights organisations to take urgent action to expose the killing of Mohammad Sherri.— Hezbollah statement
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