A "blue shield" installed in front of the archaeological site of the hippodrome of Sour, in southern Lebanon, on March 23, 2026. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
SOUTH LEBANON — Repeated Israeli airstrikes on various bridges spanning the Litani River are on the verge of completely cutting off Lebanon's southern border regions from the rest of the country.
As the Qasmieh Bridge, on the highway between Saida and Sour, was destroyed after being targeted three times by Israeli jets since Sunday, concerns are growing in the major city in southern Lebanon, whose residents have repeatedly been urged by Israel to leave.
"This strike cuts Sour off from the rest of Lebanon. In terms of food supplies, we have enough to last two months, maybe three. After that, I don't know...," a resident said.
"This is a kind of genocide. We don't even have infant formula," another said, on the sidelines of a ceremony organized by the culture ministry for the installation of a 'blue shield' in front of the hippodrome in Sour.
As many of Lebanon's archaeological sites face threats from Israeli bombardments, the Lebanese government has placed these signs at more than thirty historic sites across the country, Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh announced on March 15 to the state-run National News Agency. This measure aims to ensure compliance with the 1954 Hague Convention, which provides international protection for cultural property in times of armed conflict.
