BEIRUT, March 23 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army took control early Monday of a strategic hill in southern Lebanon and destroyed a key bridge over the Litani River, according to Lebanese security sources and official media.
The hill, al-Nabi Oweida, rises about 820 meters above sea level and is located west of Marjeyoun in the eastern border sector, about four kilometers north of the Lebanon-Israel border.
A Lebanese security source told Xinhua that the hill directly overlooks the Litani River and several towns in the Nabatieh area, making it strategically important amid ongoing field escalation.
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes on Monday destroyed the Arzi bridge over the Litani River in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA).
The Arzi bridge, administratively linked to Sidon, connects the village of Arzi and nearby communities to the coastal highway, serving as a key link between southern areas such as Tyre and Sidon on the one hand, and Beirut and central Lebanon on the other.
Also on Monday, a shell fell on the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in the southern city of Tyre, causing material damage but no injuries among international peacekeepers, according to NNA.
Hezbollah entered the confrontation on March 2 by launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire reached on Nov. 27, 2024, prompting Israel to intensify its military campaign and carry out airstrikes targeting multiple areas across Lebanon. ■
