Israel to advance ground operations in Lebanon after striking key bridge

The Israeli military announced Sunday it was expanding its ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning of a lengthy operation, after Beirut condemned what it called Israel's flagrant violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

Israeli forces were ordered earlier Sunday to destroy bridges they said were used by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah to cross the Litani River, and Lebanese official media reported Israeli raids in the south.

An AFP correspondent saw smoke billowing from a bridge that was hit outside the city of Tyre.

"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," he added.

In a separate statement Sunday, military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the expansion of the ground operation would begin within the coming week.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had earlier warned the bridge attacks "represent a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, and are considered a prelude to a ground invasion."

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli-US strike.

Israel's military said it "struck a crossing over the Litani River that was used by Hezbollah terrorists to manoeuvre from north to south of the Litani River in Lebanon".

According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA), three strikes on the bridge near Tyre "caused extensive damage, rendering it unusable". It later reported a fourth strike occurred.

The NNA said the strikes caused "damage to the electricity networks, in addition to serious damage to shops, orchards and parks adjacent to the bridge".

Aoun said "targeting bridges over the Litani River... is an attempt to sever the geographical link between the area south of the Litani and the rest of Lebanon's territory".

The NNA also reported that Israeli forces were "blowing up a number of houses in the town of Taybeh" near the border with Israel.

Earlier Sunday, Israel said rocket fire from Lebanon killed a civilian, but later announced it was investigating whether "the incident involved fire originating from IDF soldiers".

- Bridges -

Two Israeli soldiers had previously been killed in southern Lebanon, according to the military.

Lebanon's health ministry said four people were killed on Sunday in two strikes in the south, while authorities have reported 1,029 dead in three weeks of conflict and more than one million displaced.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for at least 60 attacks mainly against Israeli troops and bases in northern Israel and in southern Lebanon, where Israeli soldiers have been carrying out ground incursions.

The group said it targeted troops in the coastal town of Naqura, near the western side of the border with Israel, as the NNA reported "Israeli incursions" and heavy bombing of the area.

The group also reported fighting in the strategic border town of Khiam, where it has been clashing with soldiers for days, as well as Maroun al-Ras, Marwahin and areas across the border in Israel.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the military "to immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terrorist activity, in order to prevent Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from moving south".

The Litani River runs around 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the Israeli border.

Earlier this week, Israel attacked two bridges spanning the Litani, also alleging they were being used by Hezbollah.

- 'Commander' killed -

Katz said the military was also instructed to "accelerate the demolition of Lebanese houses in the contact villages in order to thwart threats to Israeli communities".

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency also reported at least one strike on the Bekaa Valley in the country's east.

The Israeli military said it killed a fighter on Saturday who was the "commander of the special forces in Hezbollah's Radwan Force", referring to the group's elite unit.

Israel has warned residents of swathes of south Lebanon to evacuate and has said it wants to create a buffer zone to protect residents of northern Israel.