Israeli forces continued to step up their attacks on key bridges in southern Lebanon on Monday, as part of a massive assault on the country triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran .
At dawn on Monday, Israeli forces destroyed the Qaqaiya Bridge, which connects the Nabatieh region to Wadi al-Hujair and the Ghandouriyeh sector, according to reports.
The Qaqaiya Bridge is among the five bridges along the Litani River, which runs around 30 kilometres north of the Israeli border.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier ordered the military to destroy all bridges over the river "that are used for terrorist activity, in order to prevent Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from moving south".
On Sunday, Israel bombed the Qasmiyeh Bridge, which connects the cities of Sidon and Tyre in the south.
Earlier, Israel struck the Zrarieh Bridge, linking the towns of Zrarieh and Tayr Falsayh.
The Qaqaiya Bridge, located in a southern town with the same name, spans the central part of the river and connects the Nabatieh and Bint Jbeil districts. It is considered one of the most important inland crossings between these two districts in southern Lebanon.
Additionally, the Israeli military continued its attacks in Lebanon, particularly in the south, targeting several towns and villages.
On Monday morning, Israeli forces struck the towns of Khiam, Majdal el-Ras, Braiqaa, Kfarsir, and Kfar Tebnit in the Tyre, Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, and Marjayoun districts.
This came after one person was killed overnight in Israeli strikes on the south, where Israeli forces had struck areas between Khiam and Nabatieh in the east to the Chehabiyeh municipality in Tyre.
Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Hezbollah said they carried out 63 strikes against Israel on Sunday - the group's biggest number of attacks since the conflict escalated between the two on 2 March. The operations mostly entailed rocket attacks and some drone and artillery fire, the group said.
Amid the ongoing conflict, President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met on Monday morning to discuss the latest security developments, including the potential repercussions of Israel's targeting of southern Lebanese bridges.
According to the Lebanese Presidency's press office, Aoun and Berri also addressed "the difficult social and humanitarian conditions resulting from the displacement of nearly one million southern citizens from towns and villages that were bombed and destroyed".
Earlier, Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed they were committed to "direct negotiations and are working to form a cohesive and inclusive delegation with a clear agenda of principles that enjoys domestic consensus".
Lebanon was dragged into the war triggered by US and Israeli attacks on Iran on 2 March, after Hezbollah fired into Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .
Since then, Israel has carried out an intensified military campaign across Lebanon’s south, as well as the capital, Beirut, and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
At least 1,029 have been killed since early March, with over 1.2 million people displaced.