Israeli army chief says the operation against Hezbollah “has only begun” and would be “prolonged”. Published On 22 Mar 202622 Mar 2026Israeli forces have attacked the Qasmiyeh Bridge, a key crossing linking Lebanon’s south to the rest of the country, in an escalation that President Joseph Aoun called a “prelude to ground invasion”.Sunday’s strike on the vital artery and other civilian infrastructure came after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to destroy all crossings over the Litani River and homes close to the border between the two countries.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe bombing of the bridge marks an escalation of the Israeli military’s campaign against Hezbollah, which resumed on March 2 after the Lebanese armed group fired rockets into Israel in response to the Israeli-US killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.Aoun said the attacks on the bridge were “an attempt to sever the geographical connection between the southern Litani region and the rest of Lebanese territory”.He said they fell “within suspicious schemes to establish a buffer zone along the Israeli border, solidify the reality of the occupation and seek Israeli expansion within Lebanese territory”.Katz had earlier said Israel’s strategy of attacking bridges over the Litani River used for “terrorist activity” and homes in “front-line villages” to neutralise threats to Israeli communities was similar to the model used in Beit Hanoun and Rafah in Gaza, where Israel created buffer zones by clearing and demolishing buildings near the border as part of its genocidal war against Palestinians in the territory.Later on Sunday, the Israeli army chief said the operation against Hezbollah “has only begun” and would be “prolonged”. Advertisement “We are now preparing to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes according to an organised plan,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.The Lebanese government has outlawed Hezbollah military activity and said it wanted to engage in direct talks with Israel. Earlier this month, Katz had warned the Lebanese government it would face infrastructure damage and te …
