Israel is planning to expand its ground operations in southern Lebanon. 

On Sunday, Israel began bombing the bridges that cross the Latani River and link southern Lebanon with the rest of the country. “The operation against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation has only begun… This is a prolonged operation,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement. “We are now preparing to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes according to an organised plan.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said taking out bridges was a “dangerous escalation” and “prelude to a ground invasion that Lebanon has long warned against.”

Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters that bombing bridges could cause a humanitarian crisis. “If all these bridges are struck, and the region that is south of the Litani becomes isolated from the rest of the country,” he explained. “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.”

Israel’s bombing of Lebanon intensified after the surprise US and Israeli attack on Iran. Hezbollah responded to the conflict by firing missiles at Israel. Tel Aviv agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in November 2024. While Hezbollah complied with the truce, Israel bombed Lebanon with missiles several times each week and continued to hold military outposts south of the Litani River. 

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reports over 1,000 people have been killed and nearly 3,000 wounded over the past three weeks. 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the campaign in southern Lebanon will also include destroying homes near the border.