Israel strikes main bridge in south Lebanon, orders destruction of homes near border

“HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE”

Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters that international law requires armed actors to take into account the civilian harm caused by strikes on infrastructure like bridges, even if the targets were being used for military purposes.

“If all these bridges are struck, and the region that is south of the Litani becomes isolated from the rest of the country, 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,” Kaiss said.

Destroying homes in southern Lebanon wholesale would amount to wanton destruction, which is a war crime, he added.

The Israeli military says its troops are carrying out what it describes as ground manoeuvres and targeted raids on Hezbollah militants and weapons stores in southern Lebanon. Israeli officials say the air and ground campaigns are aimed at protecting residents in northern Israel near the Lebanese border from Hezbollah attacks.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot met with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, in Jerusalem on Friday, telling reporters that he had expressed France’s reservations about a ground operation of “significant scale and duration”.

Barrot said he had urged Lebanese and Israeli officials to find a lasting solution, which he said could not be achieved through military force alone.

Earlier this month, Katz warned the Lebanese government it would face infrastructure damage and territorial losses unless Hezbollah was disarmed. The Lebanese government has outlawed Hezbollah military activity and said it wanted to engage in direct talks with Israel.