Israel's defense minister has ordered the military to level all bridges over Lebanon's Litani River and to step up the demolition of houses near the shared border, officials said. The instructions are intended to prevent militants and weaponry from moving south, according to the defense minister's office.
Scope of the orders
The defense minister, Israel Katz, told military leaders that bridges being used for what he described as "terrorist activity" would be targeted for destruction. In parallel, he directed forces to accelerate efforts to clear homes in frontline Lebanese villages located near Israeli communities, with the stated aim of reducing threats to those communities.
Context of the directive
The order comes amid intensified fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. Israeli officials said a civilian was killed in his car near the Lebanon border after what the military described as a launch from Lebanese territory, marking the first civilian death in the latest round of cross-border hostilities. Separately, two Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes in southern Lebanon.
Katz issued the directives during a meeting with the military chief of staff and other senior officials, the defense minister's office said. The measures mirror tactics used by Israeli forces in Gaza - including in Beit Hanoun and Rafah - where buildings near the border were demolished to create buffer zones.
Operational aims and methods
Officials framed the bridge and building demolitions as actions to disrupt the movement and operational capabilities of militants and to create physical buffers between frontlines and civilian population centers. The defense minister's office emphasized that structures facilitating "terrorist activity" would be specifically targeted.
Immediate effects cited by officials
Israeli authorities pointed to recent cross-border launches and the resulting casualties as factors prompting the intensified clearing and infrastructure-targeting campaign. The defense ministry's account links the new orders directly to the security situation along the Lebanon border and the goal of protecting Israeli communities from further attacks.
Note on reporting limits
Details in this report reflect statements attributed to the defense minister's office and military descriptions of recent incidents; no additional operational details or timelines were provided by those offices.